The Malaysian national team receives the latest update from FIFA

In the recently refreshed FIFA rankings, the Malaysian team remains at the same rank.

Within Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese national team still holds the second place in the FIFA rankings, trailing Thailand (ranked 96th globally). Malaysia ranks 121st and Indonesia 122nd, with no changes. Notably, Malaysia’s inability to improve its ranking in this update partly reflects the instability and challenges they are currently facing.

Malaysia now faces the risk of being penalized by FIFA and receiving severe sanctions due to violations involving naturalized players. The team’s unbeaten streak since last year has officially been nullified after FIFA awarded 3-0 wins to Cape Verde, Singapore, and Palestine. The global football governing body ruled that up to seven ineligible players participated in the matches held in December.

Previously, Malaysia drew 1-1 with Cape Verde on May 29, defeated Singapore 2-1 on September 4, and beat Palestine 1-0 on September 8. However, all these results were annulled, leaving coach Peter Cklamovski’s team in turmoil, severely affecting both their reputation and records.

Furthermore, Malaysia may face additional troubles as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is reportedly set to intervene and deduct points in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign. Malaysia is accused of fielding ineligible players in their 2-0 win over Nepal on March 25 and their 4-0 victory against Vietnam on June 10, increasing the likelihood of further penalties.

Amidst the ongoing turmoil affecting its rivals, the Vietnamese national team received disappointing news in the January 2026 FIFA rankings. According to the latest release, Vietnam slipped one spot from the previous update, now positioned 108th worldwide with 1,189.51 points. This outcome was expected since Vietnam has not played any international matches in over two months.

Vietnam’s most recent match was in November 2025, when they secured a win against Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. The lack of matches meant Vietnam earned no additional points, while several teams ranked below accumulated points through regional tournaments and international friendlies. For example, Comoros drew twice against Mali and Zambia, gaining 7.08 points, climbing three places to surpass Vietnam in the rankings.