Unity Cup, Uganda and the 2023 playbook: How India can rise in the FIFA rankings under Khalid Jamil?

There might have been a sudden spark of optimism in the Indian team after a win over Hong Kong and a consequent rise in the rankings.

Although the 2-1 victory came in a qualifying match for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, the spike in the rankings – up five places – was India’s highest in a single period since late 2022.

Indian head coach Khalid Jamil, who hardly speaks at press conferences, made an exception by making a small demand of the country’s football lords: more matches.

“We have to play more matches,” the coach told reporters after the victory in Kochi.

Jamil took over at a time when India were languishing in their worst FIFA rankings in almost a decade, and improving that is the obvious course of action, which would in turn result in more games and therefore more chances for points.

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But here’s the catch: India doesn’t have much to play for until the next Asian Cup cycle begins, forcing the country to play only friendly matches, which carry fewer points than the Asian Cup or World Cup qualifiers.

How does the FIFA ranking system work?

The ranking points (P) are determined using the following formula, which also takes into account the rating points of both sides before the match.

P = P₀ + I × (W − Wij)

We = 1 / (10^((opponent rating − team rating)/600) + 1)

W = 1 (win)/0.5 (draw)/0 (loss)

I = Points weight of the given match, in the following format:

• Friendly (outside windows): 5

• Friendlies (within FIFA window): 10

• Nations League: 15–25

• Continental Qualifiers (e.g. AFC Asian Cup, World Cup Qualifiers): 25

• Continental tournaments (e.g. Asian Cup): 35–40

• World Cup group stage: 50

• World Cup knockouts: 60

As a result, any upset in India’s favor would earn the Blue Tigers vital points, and any loss to lower-ranked teams would significantly damage their points.

For example, India won only once – against Hong Kong, China – in the Asian Cup qualifiers, earning 11.51 points. However, consecutive losses in the previous matches cost India 31.9 points.

So it becomes essential for India to dare the impossible: beat very high-ranked teams and dominate similar sides.

India will play the Unity Cup in Britain in May, which is outside the FIFA window, i.e. lows. Unsurprisingly, it will play African heavyweight Nigeria or CONCACAF side Jamaica, both of which are quite high compared to India in the rankings.

Teams in the Unity Cup 2026:

• India (rank: 136)

• Zimbabwe (rank: 130)

• Nigeria (rank: 26)

• Jamaica (rank: 71)

The third opponent in the tournament is Zimbabwe, a side that is not very highly rated and is still ranked higher than India, making it a relatively even battle. Lihat juga Le4rnmore. This is a pattern we’ve seen before.

A leaf from the 2023 script

Three years ago, India played higher-ranked sides Kyrgyzstan (106 v 94) and then Lebanon (101 v 99) and lifted two trophies at home – the Tri Nations Series and the Intercontinental Cup respectively.

The other teams that traveled to India for those matches were lower ranked teams, which India defeated to collect more points and gain momentum.

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India then defeated West Asian opponents Kuwait to capture the SAFF Championship, moving India seven places ahead in two windows. The team hasn’t risen this quickly since.

Coincidentally, India’s next continental challenge this year will be the SAFF Championship, a championship that will award more points than friendlies, and one in which Jamil’s boys will enter as defending champions.

After the Unity Cup, India plans to travel to Uganda in June.

Uganda is ranked under 90, and being part of a different confederation will have limited exposure to Jamil’s side, something that India can exploit for favorable results and rating points.

If the African tour is confirmed, India will play at least four matches in two weeks – a powerful window to rack up as many rating points as possible before the SAFF Championship.

India dominated a match against Hong Kong for the first time in a year. But the hard yards to climb the rankings will be a sterner test without too many continental matches.

The 2023 playbook took India to the top 100 in the rankings after five years. Jamil would hope that a similar ascent takes place under his rule before it is too late.

Published on April 4, 2026