Argentina Still Isn’t the Best Team in the World

By Kurtis Ottey

(Martin Meissner / Associated Press)

Just a couple days removed from the FIFA World Cup Tournament, the powers that be in the Zurich headquarters came together to release new rankings of the world’s finest international teams. One glaring observation from the updated rankings is the reigning champions, led by who some would say is the greatest soccer player of all-time Lionel Messi, have been placed #2 on the list. The team ahead of them isn’t France, the team they faced in an epic final game won in a penalty shootout. In fact, it’s the South American soccer powerhouse of Brazil who were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Croatia. Some may consider this laughable, while others are left wondering, “what is the thought processes behind these rankings?”    

FIFA world rankings

1. Brazil

2. Argentina (Up 1)

3. France (Up 1)

4. Belgium (Down 2)

5. England

6. Netherlands (Up 2)

7. Croatia (Up 5)

8. Italy (Down 2)

9. Portugal

10. Spain (Down 3)

11. Morocco (Up 11)

12. Switzerland (Up 3)

13. USA (Up 3)

14. Germany (Down 3)

15. Mexico (Down 2)

16. Uruguay (Down 2)

17. Colombia

18. Denmark (Down 8)

19. Senegal (Down 1)

20. Japan (Up 4)

21. Peru (Up 2)

22. Poland (Up 4)

23. Sweden (Up 2)

24. Iran (Down 4)

25. Korea Republic (Up 3)

26. Ukraine (Up 1)

27. Australia (Up 11)

28. Wales (Down 9)

29. Tunisia (Up 1)

30. Serbia (Down 9)

FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, has a system for ranking national teams based on their performance in international matches. These rankings, which are updated monthly, have long been a source of interest and debate among soccer fans and pundits.

The FIFA World Rankings use a points system to rank teams based on their results in international matches. Teams are awarded points for wins, draws, and losses, with the number of points awarded depending on the relative strength of the opponent and the importance of the match. The rankings consider all international matches played over the previous four years, with more recent matches carrying more weight.

The FIFA World Rankings have been met with both praise and criticism since their inception. Some argue that they provide a useful tool for comparing the relative strengths of national teams and predicting the outcomes of matches. Others argue that the rankings are inherently flawed and do not accurately reflect the true quality of teams.

One of the main criticisms of the FIFA World Rankings is that they do not account for the varying strength of different confederations. For example, teams from the highly competitive European and South American confederations tend to have an advantage over teams from other regions due to the higher quality of competition they face. This has led to claims that the rankings are biased in favor of teams from these regions.

Another criticism of the rankings is that they do not adequately account for the varying difficulty of different qualifying campaigns. For example, a team from a weaker confederation may have an easier time qualifying for a major international tournament than a team from a stronger confederation, even if the latter team is overall more talented. This can lead to teams being ranked higher or lower than they perhaps deserve based on their overall quality.

Despite these criticisms, the FIFA World Rankings remain an important and widely cited source of information in the world of soccer. They are used to seed teams for major international tournaments and to determine which teams qualify for the World Cup. As such, they play a significant role in shaping the landscape of international soccer and will likely continue to be a subject of debate and discussion for years to come.