Many national teams around the world took the month of December off, and the first FIFA rankings of 2016 reflected that.
The U.S. Men’s National Team remained at No. 32 in January’s edition of the rankings after not playing a single game since the last one was released. There was only one team to make any sort of movement above of the U.S., and that movement was from Mexico, which fell one spot into No. 23.
Belgium begins the new year as No. 1, while Argentina, Spain, Germany and Chile follow, respectively. Thailand climbed the highest in this edition of the rankings, moving up 12 spots to No. 121.
By the next release of the rankings on Feb. 4, the U.S. will have played its first friendly of the year. The Americans will face off against No. 36-ranked Iceland on Jan. 31, and then play No. 88-ranked Canada on Feb. 6.
What do you think of the FIFA rankings? Think the U.S. is rated too high, too low, or just right? Which teams do you see ranked most unfairly?
Share your thoughts below.
I think a lot of people look at them like the AP Poll in football or basketball or even the Power Rankings on ESPN.Com or MLS. Whenever, you use mathematical formulas to rank sports you will have teams that appear to be too high or too low. Especially when there are so many teams to compare with such varying schedules and competitions.
An example in the NFL Sagarin ratings the Green Bay Packers are rated higher than Minnesota, who just beat them in Green Bay and won the division. Of course in college basketball Dayton has a better record and beat Iowa on a neutral court, but is ranked lower (by humans in the AP and USA Today Coaches Poll) because Iowa has wins over Michigan St and Purdue.
These rankings are really just for fun to compare and argue about. Yes, FIFA says they will use them for seeding at the WC, but like last time if they don’t like how the rankings look they just change the formula. Like weighing past world cup success, so that only the historic countries had a chance at being seeded.
Lots of people ignore the FIFA rankings, believing they misrepresent reality. I don’t know all the statistical arguments, but it seems to me that they should be taken with a grain of salt and a simultaneous viewing of the ELO rankings which are quite a bit different. Only presenting the FIFA rankings gives them weight that is not deserved, IMHO. ELO has the US at 27, Mex 13, Costa Rica 21, with Germany at 1 and Belgium at 10.
I’m no mathematician, but it appears the main differences are ELO gives credit for goal differential where FIFA does not and FIFA gives weight to the region a country is from which ELO does not. I am not sure goal differential should be counted, but I have thought it odd that you get more credit from FIFA for beating say #20 Hungary than #19 Cote d’Ivoire just because Hungary is in Europe.
I think the main problem with FIFA rankings is that it doesn’t really take into consideration the nature of the games. For example, you play Nicaragua at home, look bad, but still win 1-0 — and you get some points in FIFA rankings. You play Spain on the road, play a great game, lose 2-3 in a thriller — and get no points.
That will always be a problem with any computer based system there is no accounting for the “eye test”. Especially in soccer where because scoring is so hard to come by the team that plays best doesn’t win as often as in most other sports. The ELO the other major ranking formula also doesn’t give any points for a loss although it does take away for draws versus inferior competition.
I will be your kaishakunin AMPhibian.
Thank you, Johnnyrazor, for helping me to flee from my Fifa ranking shame and dishonor.
Can I get one of you guys to chop my head off? After I stab myself in the stomach, of course.
Because we are Americans we tend to think only games against the US count.
Costa Rica was 1-5-6 entering their match with the Stars and Stripes in October and that one win was on September 8. Overall record for 2015 US 10-4-6, Costa Rica 5-5-6. Costa Rica’s wins over Uruguay and US don’t count as much as US wins over Germany and Netherlands because Germany and Netherlands are ranked higher. Head to head plays no role in the FIFA Rankings other than CR got points for that game and US did not.
Panama 3-7-7 in 2015. Their record against the US counts as 0-2-1 Pks count as draws in the rankings (so wins over US and TnT at GC don’t benefit them). Their wins TnT, Jamaica, and Costa Rica, wins over CONCACAF teams count less than victories over European or South American teams.
Jamaica 6-1-7 in 2015, they got hot in the Gold Cup winning 4 in a row, but where mediocre the rest of the way. Here are their wins, Venezuala, Cuba, Canada, El Salvador, US, Nicaragua, Haiti. They were 90 minutes from being eliminated from the World Cup 2018 in September of 2015. They lost to Nicaragua at home (makes no difference in the rankings home or away).
The US certainly had its problems in 2015, but by a purely mathematical standpoint as the rankings are, they still had a better season than those three teams.
Not sure why we are still ahead of Costa Rica, Panama, and Jamaica.
Klinsmann’s master plan is succeeding.