Philippine Azkals.
Buoyed by sterling performances in the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers last month, the Philippine Azkals achieved their highest ever position of 124 in the latest rankings released by the International Football Federation (Fifa).
The Azkals climbed 13 places after posting victories over higher-ranked Bahrain (2-1) and Yemen (2-0) at the start of Group H qualifying.
READ: The Azkals’ Road to World Cup
Adapting well to the new system implemented by coach Thomas Dooley, the Azkals played their finest football in their first two WCQ matches which also saw the resurgence of winger Misagh Bahadoran. The Fil-Iranian striker already has two goals while Javier Patino and newcomer Iain Ramsay accounted for a goal each.
READ: Bahadoran bursts forth for Azkals
The two victories gave the Azkals a share of the early lead in the group along with North Korea which tallied wins over Yemen and Uzbekistan.
The Azkals next face Uzbekistan on Sept. 8 at Philippine Sports Stadium. CFC