FIFA rankings for all 32 World Cup teams: How are they calculated and when are they updated?

FIFA rankings are a unique way to measure how national teams compare to each other and can prove important when it comes to tournaments like a World Cup.  

Draws for such events are influenced by rankings, with the best teams separated from facing each other in the group stages. 

This means nations with lower rankings are often drawn in tougher groups and have an even tougher task to win the overall tournament.

FIFA rankings aren’t perfect, but they do provide a solid overview of a side’s general consistency and how they’ll likely fair come World Cup time. 

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FIFA rankings for all 32 World Cup teams

Brazil are the current world number one as they compete at the 2022 World Cup.

The South American giants have held top spot since March 31 this year when they replaced Belgium, who themselves were top for nearly four years. 

Ghana, meanwhile, arrived in Qatar as the lowest-ranked nation with the African side currently 61st. 

Italy (6th) are the highest ranked side not to have qualified, and Saudi Arabia, in 51st, caused a sensational upset by beating third-ranked Argentina in their opening game.

Which teams have been world number one?

Only eight nations to date have been crowned world number one. 

Germany were top when rankings were first introduced with Brazil eventually replacing them. 

From there, Italy, France, Argentina, Spain, Netherlands, and Belgium have all also enjoyed stints as world number one.

France and Belgium became the first nations to share top spot when they did so briefly in late 2018. 

Does the top-ranked side win the World Cup?

Surprisingly, the team ranked number one going into the World Cup has never won the tournament. 

Rankings have only been active since the 1994 World Cup, where Germany went in as leaders only to be replaced by eventual winners Brazil. 

In 1998, Brazil were still number one but were beaten 3-0 by France in that year’s World Cup final. 

France were then top during the 2002 World Cup only for Brazil to bounce back and lift the title.

Brazil were world number one going into the 2006 and 2010 tournaments but Italy and Spain both triumphed on those occasions. 

Spain were then top going into 2014 when Germany triumphed, who themselves were number one in 2018 when France took out the title. 

How are FIFA rankings calculated?

FIFA rankings have existed since 1992 and uses a points-scoring system to work out standings. 

The method for calculating FIFA rankings was officially changed in August 2018.

This new system works by adding or subtracting points from a team’s previous total based on results rather than using an average number of points earned over a certain period. 

The number of points added or subtracted is influenced by the calibre of opponent a team faces. For example, beating a team ranked inside the top 10 will result in more points being gained than defeating a side ranked outside the top 20. The expected result of the game will also impact the number of points gained. 

Specific games are given more weight too, so winning a World Cup match will result in more points than claiming victory in an international friendly. 

Matches decided by penalty shootouts are a factor as well with losing teams given the same points as for a draw, while winners only get points equivalent to half a win. 

Losing knockout round matches of final competitions also won’t result in teams losing any points.  

Here’s a calculation example provided by FIFA:

• Team A has 1300 points before the match and wins a continental qualifier against team B that has 1500 points
• For team A the formula is: P=1300+25*(1–(1/(10 exp (-(1300–1500)/600) +1)))
• For team B the formula is: P = 1500 + 25 * (0- (1 / (10 exp (-(1500-1300)/600) + 1)))
• Thus, team A wins 17 points and has P = 1317 points after the match
• Team B loses the same amount of points and thus ends up with 1483 points after the match

FIFA rankings points system

If the above example has you scratching your head, you’re not alone. But understanding the points system a bit better should help with that.

The ‘importance co-efficient’ plays a big part in determining just how many ranking points a team can earn from each fixture and is as follows:

• 5 – friendlies played outside the International Match Calendar windows
• 10 – friendlies played within the International Match Calendar windows
• 15 – UEFA Nations League matches (group stage)
• 25 – UEFA Nations League matches (playoffs and finals), Confederations’ final competitions qualifiers, FIFA World Cup qualifiers
• 35 – Confederations’ final competitions matches (before quarter-finals)
• 40 – Confederations’ final competitions matches (quarter-finals and later)
• 50 – FIFA World Cup matches (before quarter-finals)
• 60 – FIFA World Cup matches (quarter-finals, semi-finals, third place play-off and final)

The result of said match then combines with the expected result to determine what percentage of the above points are awarded.

When are FIFA rankings updated?

FIFA rankings are updated after each recognised international window. 

As such, they are generally revised several times a year depending on the FIFA calendar. 

This year, rankings will only be updated six times with the final revision of 2022 to be made on December 22 after the World Cup in Qatar has concluded.