The Philippine Azkals during their friendly against Nepal at Rizal Memorial Stadium. AZKALS PHOTO
The Philippine Azkals gained a slight improvement to 135th in the latest men’s world rankings released by Fifa on Thursday.
Contrasting outcomes in a pair of home friendlies against Nepal and Chinese-Taipei this month have allowed the Azkals to move one spot higher from the previous rankings that came out last April.
That kept the Azkals as the 23rd-highest among countries within the Asian Football Confederation and third in Southeast Asia, trailing only No. 95 Vietnam and No. 113 Thailand while closely ahead of No. 137 Malaysia.
Coach Michael Weiss marked his return at the Azkals touchline by defeating Nepal and falling short against Chinese-Taipei before a home crowd at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
A second half goal by Jarvey Gayoso and key saves in the second half by goalkeeper Patrick Deyto sealed the 2-1 victory over Nepal.
The Azkals led 2-1 at halftime against the visiting Taiwanese squad, but the Filipino booters conceded twice in the second half for a 3-2 loss.
Both games were seen as an initial step in Weiss’ bid to prepare the Azkals for the joint qualifiers of the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup.
World Cup winner Argentina kept the No. 1 position followed by France and Brazil while England climbed to fourth, followed by Belgium, Croatia, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal and Spain.