Vietnam sets a new record on the FIFA ranking right before the match against Malaysia

The Vietnam futsal team has just moved up 6 spots to 20th place on the FIFA ranking, marking its highest-ever position.

Just before the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand, the Vietnam men's futsal team received great news from the FIFA, setting a new historic milestone.

According to the latest official FIFA Futsal ranking update, Vietnam’s futsal team made an impressive leap, jumping 6 places from 26th to directly enter the world Top 20.This achievement not only strengthens Vietnam futsal’s status on the global map but also represents the highest ranking the Vietnam men's futsal team has achieved since FIFA introduced the futsal rankings.

This success comes from outstanding results at the Asian Futsal Qualifiers in September, where coach Diego Giustozzi’s team won all 3 matches, defeating Hong Kong (China) 9-1, China 7-2, and Lebanon 4-0. With a dynamic attacking style, scoring a total of 20 goals and conceding only 3, the team secured a spot in the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship finals. The points gained from this tournament added over +30 points, officially marking a historic milestone for Vietnam.

This is a huge motivation for the team as they arrived in Thailand on the morning of December 13 to compete in the 33rd SEA Games. According to the schedule, the first and most important task for coach Diego Giustozzi and his players is to win their opening match against Malaysia on December 16.

With the mindset of a Top 20 world team and a leading squad in the region, the Vietnam futsal team is highly determined to overcome this initial challenge and build momentum towards their ultimate goal at this Southeast Asian Games edition.

However, Vietnam is not the highest-ranked team in Southeast Asia. The current champions, or more precisely, the team that has won all futsal tournaments since the sport was included in the SEA Games, Thailand remains the top contender, currently ranked 11th worldwide.