PETALING JAYA - Harimau Malaya national football squad which just moved up seven rungs to 138th spot in the latest FIFA rankings have the potential to break into the world's top 120 grouping by the end of this year.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin believes the national team will continue to occupy higher positions if they secure positive results in six international games scheduled in June, September and October.
He said the squad, coached by Kim Pan Gon, can also collect more ranking points in the two group stage matches of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers in November.
"So if this process continues until November and Malaysia do well, we may climb up to top 120, that is what we are hoping for but we have to work hard and most importantly we have to defend this (current) FIFA ranking.
"We cannot continue to suffer defeats like what happened before, if we are to look back to the end of 1995 until 2010, it was a not good situation where we started dropping down the ladder,” he said when met at the FAM breaking of fast event and tarawih prayer at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya here yesterday.
Harimau Malaya moved up seven rungs in the FIFA rankings issued on Thursday to occupy 138th spot following wins over Turkmenistan and Hong Kong in Tier 1 international friendlies last month.
Malaysia’s best-ever position in the FIFA rankings was when they were ranked 75th in 1993.
Hamidin said Pan Gon, along with FAM Technical Director Scott O'Donell and himself, will have to choose wisely teams Harimau Malaya intend to play against to ensure they defend their ranking while also ensuring team quality is improved.
He said the team’s ranking will not automatically take a giant leap if they beat the world’s best teams, just as how it will not drop that easily should they suffer one defeat. "If we lose once, we must keep winning the next two or three games so that the ranking is not affected and if we win against Brazil today, we cannot become number one. It means we have to maintain the ranking and improve gradually,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hamidin also confirmed that Malaysia will host Solomon Islands and Yemen in Tier 1 international friendly action this June with the matches almost certain to be played in Johor and Terengganu - BERNAMA