Just out of curiosity, since it isn't really important: in those cases when you miss by just 1 point, compared to the actual FIFA chhart, is it just a question of different rules for approximation?
Um, not different rules, per se I think. As I said, I made things relatively quick-and-dirty, so I would chalk it up to their either being rounding errors, OR that the official procedure assigns an integer value to the ratings after each game instead of taking decimal values until the actual results need to be published like I did.
2020 FIFA Rankings: 1.) France (they will eventually have world class defense and goalkeeping) 2.) USA 3.) Germany 4.) Japan 5.) Spain 6.) Canada 7.) Brazil 8.) Sweden 9.) England 10.) Australia 11.) China (welcome back China) 12.) Norway (have dropped 2 spots already in 2014, from #8 to #10. they'll still hover close to the Top 10) 13.) North Korea 14.) Italy 15.) Switzerland 16.) New Zealand (the young Ferns will continue to progress) 17.) Scotland (Kim Little keeps her nation relevant on this list) 18.) Denmark 19.) Mexico (their youth is getting better, and they will enter the Top 20 by 2020) 20.) Nigeria (finally an African team will make the Top 20) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21.) Netherlands 22.) South Korea (so very good at some of the youth levels, and so mediocre at the senior level) 23.) Colombia (good to see someone else from CONMEBOL step it up in the near future) 24.) Poland (here comes Poland) 25.) Iceland (it's still gonna be awhile before they inspire North Pole to get really good) 26.) Russia (continues to decline. they're better than just about every nation on this list at every other w-sport) 27.) Finland (I see a slight decline in their future, especially if they don't Qualify for the 2015 WWC) 28.) Costa Rica (qualifying for the 2015 WWC will be a major boost for them over the next five years) 29.) Ireland 30.) Chile
Wouldn't France have to beat a top ten team and get through a knockout round of a major tournament without a loss to get to #1? They have never done either. They haven't ever won a semifinal match.
Well, technically: no. It's easy enough to earn points from other teams and outside major tournaments. And quite possible that teams that do win major tournaments drop points elsewhere (like USA at the Algarve, or like Germany within EURO13). Sure, winning major tournaments is the easiest way to shoot up the rankings, but it's far from necessary to take the #1 spot. In a purely mathematical sense. Also, a lot can happen in six years. (See: Japan's rise of #13 to #3 from '06 to '11.)
France, Spain, and Brazil, are the nations that have the highest "ceiling" in women's football. If those nations pumped in 3/4 of the funding that the U.S. does in their women, then those nations would have a better women's football team than the US, Germany, and Japan.
C'mon guys nobody has and nobody will ever be number one without beating top ten teams and winning tournaments. France has NEVER done either even once in a FIFA competition. To be number one without doing both consistently is fantasy. As to what teams could do if they spent near what the USA does... Well, that narrows it down to just about the first page on the FIFA ranking list. And even if they spent it, six years is a pretty short development window. More fantasy.
Quite likley, but the likehood of their FAs doing that in the next decade or so is not big for France and very small for the other two.
You are absolutely right , I don't know why people rate France that high when we did nothing exceptional with the NT yet . In my opinion Germany and Japan are the two most likely to take USA number one spot , the Germans have a fantastic young generation who already won a major tournament and their best player (Maroszan) will only be 28 in 2020 . The Japanese because the way they played at world cup U17 it's pretty scary , no female team could reach that level technique-tactic-endurance at this moment.....if they can play like this with the senior in my opinion they would be unstoppable . I see France among the top five-ten with Spain, USA, Canada, Norway, Scotland, England, Sweden. We have a very good generation who is coming but Germany and Japan are better than us.
me thinks wps is smitten too much with France winning last year's euro u19 championship. But he forgets due to uefa rules, that any body who was rostered on the senior euro champ. squads were not allowed to play a few weeks later on the u19's. Thus Norway(who didn't qualify for u20) was missing their two best players(Hegerberg & Hanson) as well as Germany(who did qualify) was missing their's
Well yeah, from a practical standpoint, strong wins is a necessity for climbing the ranks. However, from a technical standpoint, there's nothing in the ranking system that requires a certain group of wins to climb the ranks. I'm just playing the devil's advocate here, especially since the potential is there. The fact is that France is #4 now, and one good tournament could easily launch them to #3, maybe even #2. Remember that Japan: -Never got out of a WWC group before 2011 -Never won an OG semifinal (or third place match) before 2012 -Haven't been to the Asian Cup finals since 2001 ...and yet they had managed to pull themselves up to the #4 slot all before that WWC run. Do I think that France will take the top spot soon? Hell no - USA, Germany, and Japan are still stronger at the senior and U-20 levels. But from a mathematical standpoint, it's quite an easy possibility. We know they can make an international semifinal, so just one "upset" on top of that would do quite a bit.
I think you're right, Siberian Thunder. About Japan, if the team progressed a lot in recent years, we can notice at the same time that they were #4 before 2011 behind USA, Germany, Brazil, right ? Winning the WC, they passed over Brazil. But they also were finalist at 2012 OG. Germany was out (by Japan) in WC's QF and absent in OG. But they kept all the same the second place ahead Japan. It's right they won 2012 Algarve against... Japan. 2020 is very far in term of Football and everything is possible. But I don't believe France could reach the top, unless winning in a row 2015 WC, 2016 OG, 2017 Euro, 2019 WC and 2020 OG Germany will always be on top (in the 3 best at worst), Japan has time and talent on its side, USA has the number. France can clearly remain in the best 4, and that would be great. The main thing anyway is NOT to be FIFA #1,... but to win the titles ! Japan doesn't care not to be #1... Hey ! They are World Champions ! People have a tendency to forget it, considering it's USA... But USA has not been World champions since 16 years...
How many of these FIFA ranked teams do you think have a chance now to win the WWC (2015) ??? Not too long ago (before 2011 WWC), only about 3 teams had a chance to win it (Germany, USA, Brazil). That would have been 2007, and in 2003, only 3 teams then as well (Germany, USA, Sweden). I'd say that number has more than doubled. It's no longer just 3 teams. At least 7 nations have a chance now (USA, Germany, Japan, Brazil, France, Sweden, Canada). Canada is certainly a darkhorse pick in 2015, and the #7 overall on that list. Pretty soon (2019), we'll have at least ten. You can add Spain to that list in 2019, but 2015 is probably too soon for them having any chance to win it. I'm going to go out on a limb and say England will also have a chance to win it in 2019. And let's not forget about Norway. They got to the Euro Final. So add them to the list in 2015 and 2019 as well. It won't be long before 20 nations have a chance to win it all. 2027 perhaps? It's nice to watch the evolution of women's football right before our eyes. Thanks to Japan and France recently for breaking that barrier. Now more nations have hope.
If Pia draws this team, then you don't want to hold your breathe. Martha will need a hat trick on someone just get Brazil out the quarters. Herdmann will do more damage with his mouth than the team will do. Germany, Japan, USA and France (if they have harden up)
Why France still one of the favourite (for WC 15) people's mind is hard for me to understand....Germany , USA and Japan are the favourite then we have a bunch a very strong team which have to be considered outsiders/dark horses and nothing else....France, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Australia, England, Spain, Brazil....of course these team could beat the favourite but that doesn't make them favourite....if you know what i am saying...
I think some people are looks at the fact that France finished 4th in both of the last two major worldwide tournaments and have been improving since.
By what measure have they improved since? They have still never won a fifa match past the quarter finals.
Well most people actually watch how they play as opposed to just reading what their best tournament results are. =-P People like how they play and have seen their on-field product being more and more refined. Also, considering this is the FIFA ranking thread, whether you believe the ranking system or not, THERE'S a measure that shows their improvement since 2011.
Lead story on FIFA.com today! http://www.fifa.com http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/news/newsid=2323572/index.html To win a major you need quality all over the field and a bucket of luck. France has never had the luck. They could also use a world class goalkeeper, but the point is in their late-stage losses in both past majors they outplayed and outshot their opponents by multiples. With even a bit of luck they could well have won both. Like the U20 this summer, France should stage out of Montreal and it should be super for them.
None of this stuff! USA mid-fielders can come up to the box and finish while France's Great Mid-field hits air balls. The Great Necib was MIA in the WC and OGs when the money was on the table. For example in the OGs Japan took away the forwards who killed them two weeks earlier and turned the game over to France's mid-field and dared them to win the game, which equaled FAILURE.
You are now looking at the new #1 team in the world, in the updated FIFA rankings coming soon. A changing of the guard, where the torch is passed back to Germany. Insiders project that Germany will be the #1 ranked team in the world going in to the 2015 WWC in Canada. And why not? This video clearly shows they are the most intimidating force in the world.
That would depend on the results against France. The USA was ahead by 24 points at the last ranking. Since then Germany has beaten powerhouses Ireland(30), Slovenia(58), and Slovakia(47). The USA squeezed by China twice(15), tied Canada(7) away, and will have played France(4) twice. All up to Jill now. No pressure.
First of all, whoever said France has never beaten a Top 10 side is quite mistaken...Sweden, Canada, England, Japan, DPR Korea, Australia...They've beaten all of them in the last 2 years... As for the rather intellectual ranking prediction of WPS_Movement, I think it is very reasonable to think France will achieve #1 status. Japan, Germany, and USA could all be there as well. I honestly see Brazil and DPR Korea falling outside the top 10 though. Other notes; I think Sweden will remain high, I agree with Spain, I think South Korea, Belgium and Netherlands will both be top 20, I think Australia and England and Canada will all be interchangeable between 7-9. Mexico and Nigeria not top 20...