FIFA`s lowest-ranked team Bhutan secures World Cup passage

Bhutan, the lowest ranking country in the FIFA rankings, has made a big surprise in the World Cup qualifiers at its first ever participation.

At the second match of the first round Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup Russia, which was held in Bhutan`s capital Thimphu on Wednesday (Korea time), Bhutan defeated Sri Lanka (ranking 174th) 2-1. The tiny south-east Asian country also won 1-0 against Sri Lanka in the first match on Thursday last week.

Bhutan, which joined FIFA in 2000, had three wins in 43 matches until their latest games against Sri Lanka. Most Bhutanese players are people engaged in occupations unrelated to soccer or are students. The country, with even no domestic league, could not participate at World Cup qualifiers because it had no money to take part in home and away matches. The team, however, was able to participate in this year’s event thanks to FIFA’s financial support.

The first round qualifiers for the World Cup Russia will be entailing home and away matches, which bring together 12 countries ranked among the lowest in Asia by FIFA. Five countries, namely Bhutan, India, East Timor, Cambodia, and Taiwan, have secured berths for the second round qualifiers. In the second round, six countries that passed the first round qualifiers, and 34 countries ranking among the highest in Asia by FIFA, including Korea and Japan, will hold the final round qualifiers by forming eight groups.

creating@donga.com