FIFA Men’s World Ranking:
Iran remains 18th, finishes on all-time yearend high
The Iranian national football team retained its 18th spot in the latest FIFA Men’s World Ranking, released on Thursday.
December’s ranking marked an all-time best finish in the yearend list for Team Melli, which had moved up by one spot to reach its highest spot in 19 years in the monthly ranking in November.
Amir Qalenoei’s men, however, remained second to Japan among the Asian teams as the Blue Samurai stood in the 15th place.
Following the top two in the list of AFC’s member states are South Korea (23rd), Australia (26th), and Qatar (48th).
Iran clinched 15 victories, including a shootout win against Syria in the AFC Asian Cup last 16, in 18 games in the calendar year, starting with back-to-back friendly wins against Burkina Faso (2-1) and Indonesia (5-1) in January.
Team Melli then went on to beat Palestine (4-1), Hong Kong (1-0), and the United Arab Emirates (2-1) to win the Asian Cup group in Qatar, before reaching the last eight at the expense of Syria.
The year’s most memorable triumph for Iran came in the Asian Cup quarterfinals, where Qalenoei’s side came from behind to defeat Japan 2-1, thanks to Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s spot-kick in stoppage time.
Iran still failed to end a 48-year title drought in the flagship continental event, suffering a 3-2 defeat against ultimate champion Qatar in the semifinals – Iran’s sole loss in 2024.
On return to World Cup qualifiers, the Asian powerhouse defeated Turkmenistan twice and walked away with a 4-2 win at Hong Kong before a goalless home draw against Uzbekistan secured the top spot in the preliminary group.
Team Melli began the third round of the qualifiers with a shaky 1-0 home victory over Kyrgyzstan in September and defeated the UAE by one goal in Al Ain, but shared the spoils with Uzbekistan in a second goalless encounter in four months, this time in Tashkent.
Iran took revenge for the Asian Cup setback by hammering Qatar 4-1 in the neutral venue of Dubai’s Al Rashid Stadium in October, gaining momentum in its qualification campaign.
In the latest international break in November, Iran defeated North Korea 3-2 in Laos and went on to beat Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek by the same scoreline to maintain its hold on the top spot in Group A of the World Cup Asian qualifiers with 16 points – three clear of second-placed Uzbekistan and six above the UAE – with four games to spare.
With the top two of the group progressing to the World Cup finals, Team Melli can clinch a place in the 2026 showdown in North America when taking on the UAE and Uzbekistan in late March.