Vietnam National Team would rise 6 places in FIFA rankings if awarded a win over Malaysia

If granted a 3-0 victory against Malaysia, Vietnam’s national team could climb up to 6 positions in the FIFA rankings.

FIFA has recently announced sanctions against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven naturalized players for breaching player registration rules. This incident occurred during Malaysia’s 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in June 2025. Besides a financial penalty imposed on FAM, the seven players received 12-month suspensions.

Although FIFA has not officially changed the match result yet, according to common football practice, Malaysia is almost certain to be handed a 0-3 loss to Vietnam. If even one ineligible player participates, the default match outcome is a 0-3 defeat.

If awarded a 3-0 win, not only would Vietnam’s chances to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup improve significantly, but the team would also regain a substantial number of FIFA ranking points. According to Football Ranking calculations, a 3-0 win over Malaysia would restore 13.02 points lost from the 0-4 defeat and add 11.98 points from the awarded victory.

With these 25 points, Vietnam would move up to 108th place worldwide, a jump of 6 ranks. Meanwhile, Malaysia fielded the seven penalized naturalized players in wins against Nepal (2-0), Vietnam (4-0), Singapore (2-1), and Palestine (1-0). If they are handed losses for all four matches and penalized points, Malaysia could lose up to 70 points.

This is an enormous point deduction for any team, causing Malaysia to drop 18 places to 141st in the world rankings if it happens. Additionally, Malaysia would fall to the bottom of Group F with zero points and a -6 goal difference. This would effectively end Malaysia’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup and open a significant opportunity for Vietnam.

It is highly likely FIFA will not immediately impose sanctions on Malaysia for this match since the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers fall under the jurisdiction of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). After FIFA’s decision takes effect, the AFC Disciplinary Committee will review and decide on penalties for Malaysia’s violations in the match against Vietnam.