FIFA World Ranking

How does Norway fall behind No. Korea in the latest rankings? Can someone explain? Norway beats USA and Germany (world No 1 and 2 mind you) each 2-0 in the latest cycle. They lose to Japan, Sweden and Brazil (only Japan ranked below them). North Korea plays only in Asia and only beats Nigeria in the Olympics and yet is considered overall a better team than Norway? I know it is a numbers game BUT...........gimme a break

 

thanks for the data Jonny63. Interesting that you LOSE a point even when you win a match (vs. NZL) if I am reading it right! I suppose it is fair since same rules/math apply to all........

 

Once more, congrats to US for the great victory and to Brazil too (why not?) for having given them a terrific battle.

Great for both and that reflects in the present rankings.

FIFA officials at last had to find a definitive spot for Brz in that podium.

In spite of Sweden, Norway, Danmark, traditional powerhouses, that had diplomatically to be dealt with.

Don’t blame Norway’s fate though, Redcard.

Norway has had its share of glory (& will still have its shots at it, don’t worry).

Women's soc however is more & more moving westwards &…southwards.

Even to the south of Rio Grande.

Some still resist to the idea, though.

Right after that US 1 x 0 Brz ‘someone’ sort of condescendingly commented:

‘I think this match means nothing to the Americans and everything to your girls.

They're spoiled and they've become used to winning things.’

And - 1 month ½ after the game - what still we see is a US title gloating thread burning fireworks at BS Women’s Forum! …

Cf. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=747517

367 posts from August 21 to Sep 1st!...

Too much for whom ‘this match means nothing’...

Thinking well, t’was even good for Brazil not having won that title yet: Brz officials would think they’d need do nothing and just let the girls talents flow…

As far as US – don’t kill me for saying that, girls - I think it was its swan song.

Future favours football countries: and, sorry, US isn’t football country.

Soccer is not a tradition in US not even among women.

2 or 3 decades of professionalism and another 1 of amateurism is too little to characterize a tradition - or establish an hegemony.

Besides, there don’t exist exclusively feminine or masculine sports.

Brazil (like Germany) is an all-around football nation (men & women), and brings the game in the blood since 1898.

Even the women have played it for long (informally of course).

No need to learn how to play it in high school or college like US players.

For them football is not a summer course.

They've been playing all that since always.

For them football is just natural as breathing.

They were not up there since the late 50s (like the men) obviously because of male Latin American prejudice (which, in a smaller amount, still exits, it’s true).

But if they didn’t formally practice it (leagues, etc) they’ve always been used to see, follow and learn with the best football in the planet – and informally practice too (for instance, beach football).

It's so much easier when you have a brother or a cousin who plays for São Paulo or Flamengo...

On the other hand, US girls being ‘too spoiled’ and ‘used to win’?...

Late game developments (4 x 0’s etc) have shattered that fairy tale quite a bit, don’t you think so?...

US having gone to an Olympics final as underdogs to Brz was just a sign.

When they find in a few years that the chariot was a pumpking, that they became a Sweden of life, and are not regarded as ner 1 anymore (and being ‘ner 1’ is everything for an American), they’ll definitely stop behaving ‘spoiled’.

After less than 30 years of history, US women’s soccer has yet to prove that their participation in the game was not just a temporary hobby.

A cultural chickenpox fit.

 

i love chinese steel roses~~

 

Congratulations to the Netherlands on their move up.

If the US keeps scheduling and bare beating those lower ranked teams they might drop into 2nd without Germany having to play anyone.

 

and congrats to england for making the top 10.

is this the first time?

 

I agree with redcard about Norway. As FIFA uses Elo (all matches count) rather than just counting the latest so and so matches, Norway should at one point be ranked at least second. It's a bit of an irony that the Norwegian men's team has had a higher ranking than the girls.

On the other hand, as the ranking started during the Åge Steen years (the dark limbo of Norwegian football) it makes more sense. And as Berntsen isn't exactly helping the situation... Also, the current African Champions are ranked 72, and sixth in Africa. So things are a bit strange at the table.

 

I fumbled, Norway's WNT has been ranked second. The two first rankings. My bad.

Of course, being ranked ninth is Berntsen's bad. Even though he's lacking a lot of players.

 

the latest is out. Norway at 10th.
what a badly position for norway?were you the same as china?

Once lost the high position,it's hardly to go back

 

Random question: how much can a tournament like EURO affect the rankings? I.e. what's a typical point gain/loss thanks to so many high-importance games in quick succession? (I'm wondering what the chances of Germany going back up to #2 (or even #1) are.)

-edit-
Okay, no-one answer that; I just went over to the FIFA site and saw the new rankings will be released tomorrow.... heh heh.... ^.^''' My bad.

 

USA: 2197
Germany: 2162


Very interesting! Germany collects points by wining world cups and EU's ,then loses much more in Algrave cups.

In 2007 won 53 poinst by winning WC, just after losing 81 points in Algrave 2007 and China Tournament (2007) together.

Getting 43 points in EU 2009, only after losing 60 poinst in Algrave cups 2008 and 2009 together.

WC 2007 + EU 2009 = +96

Algrave cup (2007-2009)
+China tournament 2007 = -141
------------------------------------------
-45 points

-45 points is lost in three years (besides the -22 lost in Olympic 2008) despite winning two official tournaments

Why do they attend Algrave cup's, is a good question.

If Germany just hadn't played at these tournaments, similar to Brazil, it had now 2303 points. 106 points ahead of the 2nd team.

 

Interesting maths, but does it hold up in practice? Where do the hypothetical 2303 points come from, if not from preparing well for the matches that count? Football doesn't exactly embrace the "other things equal" principle. Would Germany have won the EUROs so convincingly if they hadn't had the chance to break eg Kulig and Schmidt in at the Algarve training tourney? (Besides, it's great to see some football again after a long winter and to get an idea of who else is out there, even if it's not always top notch quality yet.) For me, the flaw is rather that the Algarve is included in the ranking in the first place - but, of course, if it weren't, where would the US get their points from so they could be first in the ranking?

 

I don't put much weight in the rankings. While the women's rankings may be closer to reality (thinner pool, I think) than the rankings for the men, both are flawed for various reasons. What really matters is showing in the various tournaments. Everyone knows Germany has won the last two WWC.

 

That's true. I don't care ranking so much,only enjoying estimating the points

The problem is not just the high weighting of Algrave cup. Germany loses to low rank teams easily and for that misses a lot of points. If Germany had finished runner-up each time, say losing each time to US , it had missed some 20-30 points for all three years, not 141 points.

Look just at Algrave Cup 2007 for example:

Germany 1 Norway 2
Germany 0 France 1
Germany 3 Denmark 0
Germany 0 Italy 1

Finishing 8th between 8 teams!! That's simply not normal, even if They use their B team.

Germany lost exactly 50 points for these four games and got 53 points for winning the coming world cup, beating 5 teams 21-0 (beating North Korea, Norway and Brazil together 8-0). A stupid performance in Algrave cup actually canceled out the WC trophy for Germany

oh well, i must point out again that I am following these details just for fun

 

The women's ranking is not perfect but it's pretty good, I think.
Ranking is not everything but it does have its importance.

Without it, fans from different parts of the world inherently will "rank" their teams higher. Once it comes time for the World Cup, how do you group teams? A fan of a country which gets placed into a group with 2 power house will certainly cry wolf even louder.

 

That's very true. I'd forgotten they'd done that badly. Using Algarve to blood some new players is one thing. Completely flaking out is something else entirely. I will now not feel sorry for them anymore I'd previously been closer to the "ok, Algarve isn't that important so I can understand shifting points" club.