FIBA World Ranking: India improve to 75th as new points system locks in
The national men's basketball team has moved ahead of Kazakhstan, and is poised to pass Bahrain after the next window of the World Cup Qualifiers.
The Indian men’s senior team has climbed from No. 76 to No. 75 in the latest FIBA World Ranking, released on December 2. The upward movement is mirrored in Asia as well, where India went from the 15th spot to 14th, despite losing both of its recent World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers games.
While the improvement may come as a surprise to many, considering the national team has not won any of its last five games in major competitions, FIBA’s new ranking system deserves some credit.
FIBA’s New Ranking System
Under the latest FIBA rankings system rolled out in November, and made effective from the recent Window 1 of the World Cup Qualifiers, national teams never lose points. They only accumulate them each time they play an official FIBA game. That means even losses add a certain number of points.
So, despite India losing both games, their points rose from 130 in September 2025 to 143.6 in December 2025, gaining 6.8 points from each defeat.
Before the opening Qualifiers window began, Kazakhstan led India by 7.7 points. Now, with India receiving 6.8 points for playing each game against KSA, the team has moved ahead of Kazakhstan by 5.9 points.
Unlike India, Kazakhstan is not competing in the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers, and hence will remain stuck on 137.7 points.
Bahrain in India’s Sights
The Young Cagers have more movement guaranteed. Like Kazakhstan, Bahrain has also failed to reach the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers.
The Middle Eastern country currently sits just 7.7 points above India, and because the new formula rewards participation, India is mathematically assured of overtaking Bahrain after the next World Cup Qualifiers window, even if the team loses both games again.
However, that is where the automatic climb will most likely end. At least in Asia, every team ranked above Bahrain is already active in the World Cup Qualifiers, meaning India cannot leapfrog any of them without actually winning games.
Still, the new FIBA system has brought India some positivity by rewarding their continued presence in top-level events.
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