Afghanistan has jumped 48 places in the international football federation's (FIFA) world rankings – the biggest mover in the latest edition of the rankings – boosted by its success in the qualifiers for the 2014 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup.
The Afghan national team climbed to the 141 position from the 189 spot after qualifying for the 2014 Challenge Cup to be played in the Maldives next year.
Fellow qualifiers Palestine and Myanmar also improved their ranking. Palestine climbed the ladder by three spots to rank 150, while Myanmar rose nine spots to 155.
The Afghan Football Federation called the new ranking a "great achievement for the people of Afghanistan."
In the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers held in Laos, Afghanistan defeated both Sri Lanka and Mongolia 1-0 but were held by hosts Laos 1-1 to qualify for the tournament proper as Group C leaders.
It was one of the seven teams to qualify out of 20 who competed.
After the victory, the Afghan national football coach said that the best players of the upcoming 2013 Afghan Premier League will be selected to play in next year's AFC Challenge Cup.
Yousuf Kargar said that with the Afghan Premiere League (APL) due to begin soon, it will help the national football team for next year's cup.
The AFC Challenge Cup began in 2006 and is held every two years.
The 2014 winners of the AFC Challenge Cup will participate in the AFC Asian Cup 2015 to be held in Australia.