Kuala Lumpur: United Arab Emirates maintained their position as Asia’s leading nation when the latest Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Club Competitions Rankings were released on Monday.
With Emirati powerhouse Al Ain through to the quarter-finals of this season’s AFC Champions League and the UAE national team vying to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the top three positions remain unaltered from last month, and see the UAE leading the way on 95.428 points, Korea Republic in second with 89.128 and Qatar occupying third spot thanks to the 82.977 points they have amassed.
There was a change further down the list however, as China PR with 80.9 points edged past Saudi Arabia (80.484) to claim fourth place, a rise brought about primarily thanks to Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG reaching the last eight of this season’s AFC Champions League.
The next ranking in November 2017, will affect the slot allocation for the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup 2019/20.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF THE AFC MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS RANKING
Top 15 AFC Member Associations
United Arab Emirates, 95.428
Korea Republic, 89.182
Qatar, 82.977
China PR, 80.900
Saudi Arabia, 80.484
Japan, 78.017
Islamic Republic of Iran, 69.579
Australia, 63.797
Uzbekistan, 44.980
Thailand, 42.827
Iraq, 37.548
Malaysia, 30.233
Hong Kong, 29.184
Syria, 27.790
India, 27.083
CLICK HERE FOR THE RANKING MECHANICS
Photo: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com