Philippines 134th in Fifa ranking

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines fell nine places in the latest world ranking ahead of the Azkals’ coming away match with North Korea in the Fifa World Cup Qualifiers.

Based on the October ranking released by the International Football Federation (Fifa) yesterday, the Phl found itself down to 134th after standing at 125th the past two months.

Factored in the current position were two A matches the Azkals played last month. The Pinoy booters beat Maldives in a friendly but suffered a 1-5 setback to Uzbekistan in a WCQ Group H match in Bulacan.

At 134th, the Azkals are now the fourth-ranked side in Group H behind the Uzbeks (up two places at 72nd), Bahrain (down 11 spots at 123rd) and North Korea (three places down at 129th). Yemen carries the lowest ranking in the group at 180th.

The Azkals, though, still rank highest among Asean sides, outranking traditional regional powers like reigning Suzuki Cup titlist Thailand (145th), and Vietnam (149).

The Pinoy booters brace for a tough outing against the North Koreans on Thursday in Pyongyang as they continue their bid in the WCQ. Phl XI has six points after three matches built around victories over Bahrain (2-1) and Yemen (2-0).