KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia have moved up seven spots to No. 130 in the latest world rankings released by Fifa today.
Harimau Malaya's winning start to their 2026 World Cup / 2027 Asian Cup Qualifying campaign saw them surge ahead in the rankings.
Coach Kim Pan Gon's men kicked off their Group D campaign with a sensational 4-3 win over world No. 97 Kyrgyzstan in Bukit Jalil on Nov 16.
They followed up with a 1-0 win over No.152 Taiwan at the Taipei Municipal Stadium on Nov 27.
Malaysia are now top of Group D with six points, while Taiwan are last without any point. Oman and Kyrgyzstan have three points each.
Their next World Cup / Asian Cup qualifiers will see them take on No. 72 Oman away on March 21 next year and meet them again on March 26 at home, followed by Kyrgyzstan (June 6) away and Taiwan at Bukit Jalil on June 11.
The significant jump in world ranking will be a boost for the national team ahead of their return to the Asian Cup in Qatar from Jan 12-Feb 10 next year.
Harimau Malaya's highest world ranking was 75th, achieved in 1993, and their lowest was No.178 in 2018.