The entity that rules the sport introduced a while ago what is called the FIFA ranking to order every National Team in the world. Here you will find out which one was the last one before the World Cup starts.
There is always a debate about who the best team in the world is, regardless of the sport. Of course, it also happens in football. But it’s a completely different story when we talk about national teams, because every four years there is only one competition that every country around the world participates in. This is where the FIFA rankings come in and we’ll tell you more about them ahead of Qatar 2022.
The four-year period that separates each edition makes it difficult to determine who is the best among them. So in 1993, FIFA came up with a way to rank all countries affiliated with that entity in a list based on merit. Since its introduction, it has been the subject of controversy because it sometimes does not completely correspond to reality.
FIFA uses a mathematical formula to assign scores for each national team, so at least it’s not something subjective. It takes into account every game played in the last four years in an official setting. Whether it’s a formal friendly match or a qualifying duel, it all counts. Read on to find out when the last update was, who’s on top.
When was the latest update of the FIFA ranking?
One thing to note about the FIFA ranking is that it gives more importance to recent games in order to stay true to the present. But since it includes so many matches that it is logic it takes time for some National Teams to see a jump in their position after a good result. In this case, the previous update was made not too long ago.
The latest FIFA ranking ahead of Qatar 2022 was released on October 6. After all the qualifiers were completed, along with the UEFA Nations League games and the other friendlies that took place around the world. In that list, there were no changes in the top 5. Brazil continues being the leader after their outstanding road to the World Cup.
Right behind are Belgium, Argentina, France, and England. There was a switch in the top 10, though. That had to do with Italy reaching the sixth place by overtaking Spain. Netherlands, Portugal, and Denmark completed that section this time around. It will remain that way throughout the tournament since the next update will be on December 22.
