The Philippine women’s football team retained its 53rd ranking after two friendly matches with Costa Rica.
In the latest FIFA rankings released 13 October, the Filipinas had a total of 1483.06 points compared to the previous rank of 1479.91 points it got from the 5 August rankings.
Four-time World Cup champion United States is still on top with 2087.48 points.
The Philippines is also ranked 11th in the women’s Asian Football Confederation rankings with North Korea on top with 1940 points.
The Filipinas recently forced a 1-1 draw with the No. 37 Costa Ricans on 8 October before the Las Ticas pulled a 2-1 win three days later.
Filipinas head coach Alen Stajcic lauded the squad’s courage against a veteran World Cup team but stressed that there is still more to be done before the start of the World Cup on 20 July next year.
“It’s a great experience to come to a beautiful country and football-loving culture like Costa Rica. It was tough for us on the pitch with eight to nine injuries and illnesses in the squad,” Stajcic said.
“We showed flexibility in our squad with different combinations and players playing various roles. I believe we competed well against an experienced World Cup opponent, however, it’s clear we need to improve the technical part of our game.”
“The team showed great heart, commitment, and discipline and we are pleased with the excellent experience overall playing a Latin American Country for the first time ever (away from home) and proving once again that we are constantly working hard and improving for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.”
The World Cup draw will be on 22 October at the Aotea Centre in Auckland with the Philippines in Pot 4 along with Nigeria, South Africa, Morroco, Zambia and the three remaining countries that will qualify.
The eight groups in the World Cup will have four teams each with each participant being picked from one pot.