MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals continue their meteoric rise as they climbed 11 spots to No. 129 in the latest FIFA rankings after their historic first runner-up finish in the AFC Challenge Cup in Maldives.
The Azkals zero in on Southeast Asia’s best and arch-rival Vietnam, which currently sits on No. 123 ranking. The next target is to win the AFF Suzuki Cup in November and try to barge into the top 100 in the FIFA rankings.
The Phl side amassed a total of 217 points in the past month on the strength of winning three of its five matches in Maldives.
Palestine, which claimed its first ever AFC Challenge Cup title and a spot in the Asian Cup next year, easily made the biggest leap from 165th spot to 94th.
Azkals American coach Thomas Dooley has recommended to the management to hold camps in the US and Canada as he wants to build on the momentum of their AFC Challenge Cup run in preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup later this year.
Dooley, a former US team skipper, will try to link up with present US national coach Jurgen Klinsmann after the World Cup for a possible friendly with the Azkals. The American coach briefly served as one of Klinsmann’s deputies before taking over the Azkals from German coach Hans Michael Weiss.
The Azkals will first defend the Philippine Peace Cup title in September before aiming for the AFF Suzuki Cup title in November.