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In the midst of change and corruption at FIFA, they have still managed to release the latest rankings of men’s national teams. No surprise that the 2014 World Cup winners take the first position, but farther down the table could turn some heads.
Belgium have jumped to second place, despite being eliminated in the quarter finals, beating out Argentina who made it to the World Cup finals against Germany. This is the highest ranking The Red Devils have received in the FIFA table and their fan base could not be happier. Predictions have been made that Belgium could be future winners in the World Cup as Argentina’s Messi gets older, but the immense power that Germany controls with their strong youth players like Julian Draxler and Mario Gotze will provide a tough challenge for anyone. The Red Devils remain at the top of their group in the Euro qualifiers with a match against Wales coming up soon.
The Red Devils have seen a lot of progression in FIFA rankings over the years as they now sit in their highest rank in history. Photo: @EurosportCom_ENG | Twitter
The USA only moves up one spot into 27th, but with European teams playing more matches for qualifiers and the USA partaking in friendlies currently, it is natural for them to be farther below. Come the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in the middle of Summer, the USA will have a bigger boost in points to raise their positioning. The USMNT face the Netherlands followed by Germany in a European friendly tour.
The top 10 teams are as follows:
1. Germany
2. Belgium
3. Argentina
4. Columbia
5. Brazil
6. Netherlands
7. Portugal
8. Uruguay
9. France
10. Spain
The rankings of the 200 plus registered nations are determined by a point system based on international games sanctioned by the FIFA organization. The total number of points is added over the past four years of competition in an equation that takes into account the result of the match (win, loss, or draw), the importance of the match, opposing teams strength, and the strength of the confederation.
Points = M x I x T x C
M - The match result uses the same point system as a majority of the major leagues in Europe. Three points for a win, one point a piece for a draw, and no points for a loss. Should the match go into penalties, the winning team earns two points and the losing team earns one.
I - The importance of the match is categorized into four areas. A friendly match earns a multiplier of 1.0. A World Cup qualifier or confederation qualifier earns a multiplier of 2.5. The confederation finals or FIFA Confederations Cup earns a multiplier of 3, and finally, FIFA World Cup final competition earns a multiplier of 4.0.
T - Strength of the opposing team is determined by their current ranking on the table at the time of the match. Teams above the 150th mark are assigned to a formula of 200 minus their actual ranking, with the exception of the first placed team who earns the full 200. For example, the USA’s strength ranking would be 200 - 27 = 173. Any team below the 150th place mark have a set value of 50.
C - The final part to the equation is the multiplier of a teams confederation. This number can change over the years, as it is based on the number of victories from each confederation during the World Cup. The current multipliers for each confederation are: CONMEBOL - 1.0, UEFA - 0.99, AFC/CAF/OFC/CONCACAF - 0.85
The full list of the FIFA men’s national team rankings can be found here.
