FIFA’s World Rankings After Fall Window: Portugal Rises As Brazil, Germany Sink

There were more matches than usual across an extended three-week international window and that has resulted in movement in FIFA’s world rankings.

Countries from Europe, Africa and the Americas were in competitive action over the break, but many nations also spent their time traversing the globe to compete in friendlies.

There was a healthy balance of high-profile clashes—predominantly in Europe—and lesser-seen matchups, such as Brazil’s first-ever battle with India and Argentina’s maiden clash against Benin in what was Lionel Messi’s farewell match.

How Are FIFA Rankings Calculated?

At its most basic, FIFA rankings are determined by the outcome of a country’s matches. Nations have a running points total which gets added to or subtracted from using the Elo method of calculation depending on whether a team wins, draws or loses a fixture.

Obviously, the more matches a country wins, the more its points total increases and, in turn, its FIFA ranking improves.

But not all matches are made equal. As per FIFA: “The points which are added or subtracted are partially determined by the relative strength of the two opponents, including the logical expectation that teams higher in the ranking should fare better against teams lower in the ranking.”

Competitions also influence the point-scoring system. For example, Spain earns more points for beating Argentina in the World Cup final than it would winning an ordinary friendly, with different tournaments having unique values.

This system to calculate rankings was first introduced in August 2018.

Where Does the USMNT Rank in the World?

USMNT celebrates — The USMNT shone during September and October. | Mark Thorstenson/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Mauricio Pochettino’s youthful roster for the recent international window produced four successive victories in matches against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. The USMNT was particularly impressive going forward, finding the net 12 times across those fixtures.

However, while the Stars and Stripes gained 3.85 points for such triumphs, they failed to rise in the rankings and have stayed put in 16th place. The fact that all of the fall matches were friendlies limited the ability to earn more points.

The USMNT’s current running points total is 1705.47, some distance behind Italy in 15th (1713.04).

FIFA World Rankings: Top 20 Nations

Spain players celebrate — Spain is still the best around. | MARKO PERKOV/AFP/Getty Images

It’s little surprise that world champion Spain still tops the FIFA rankings by a considerable margin. After winning all four of its UEFA Nations League matches over the window, including wins over fellow top 20 nations England and Croatia (twice), it’s gained a further 3.72 points and is currently the only country with more than 2000 points (2011.57).

La Roja remain ahead of the team toppled in the World Cup final: Argentina. Three friendly wins against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin boosted its points total by just 0.63 due to the low level of opposition.

France and England gained some ground on La Albiceleste in third and fourth respectively. The former added 5.14 points to its tally to move onto 1958.86 during Zinedine Zidane’s first window in charge, which yielded three wins and a draw against tough opposition.

The Three Lions also managed three victories, but two of those came against 51st-ranked Czechia. Wins added 2.16 points and now has them on 1925.59 overall—way, way ahead of Portugal in fifth.

A tumultuous international period off the field courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest tantrum was not mirrored by on-field displays. The Seleção das Quinas won all four matches in the Nations League under new manager Jorge Jesus, ensuring a leap ahead of Brazil and Morocco in the rankings.

While Morocco lost points, Brazil did manage to add 0.6 to its total by securing wins over Australia and India in friendlies. That wasn’t enough to avoid dropping out of the top five, however.

Belgium lost 5.14 points during Mark van Bommel’s first international window in charge, but have just stayed ahead of the Netherlands, behind in ninth. Despite losing 7.56 points following a winless first camp with Rafa Márquez at the helm, Mexico has held onto its spot in the top 10.

Switzerland jumped up two places into 12th after four consecutive wins, moving above Jürgen Klopp’s new-look Germany. The four-time world champion only managed to win one of its Nations League matches and failed to triumph in either of its games against 41st-ranked Greece.

Croatia also slipped to 14th after a bruising set of results on Slaven Bilić’s return to the manager’s office. Its 7–0 humbling at the hands of England was sandwiched in between defeats to Spain, but it still finds itself ahead of Italy and the USMNT by a narrow margin.

Rank	Nation	Points Gained/Lost	Total Points
1.	Spain	+3.72	2011.57
2.	Argentina	+0.63	1972.80
3.	France	+5.14	1958.86
4.	England	+2.16	1925.59
5.	Portugal	+5.28	1807.69
6.	Brazil	+0.60	1806.51
7.	Morocco	-2.85	1805.34
8.	Belgium	-5.14	1779.17
9.	Netherlands	+3.72	1778.61
10.	Mexico	-7.56	1738.48
11.	Colombia	+2.55	1735.80
12.	Switzerland	+2.93	1725.39
13.	Germany	-3.05	1717.52
14.	Croatia	-3.72	1714.74
15.	Italy	+5.55	1713.04
16.	USMNT	+3.85	1705.47
17.	Japan	+1.75	1684.75
18.	Senegal	+1.49	1648.84
19.	Norway	-5.28	1637.89
20.	Uruguay	+1.09	1635.54

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