The latest edition of the FIFA/Coca Cola world rankings has been published: Germany top the list with the World Cup just 70 days away. Germany remain top of the table, having finished third in the Algarve Cup. The USA won the tournament and have cut Germany’s advantage to just 10 points. France have gained grounds on the top two thanks to their impressive showing in Portugal.
England remain sixth, seven points behind Sweden. They closed the gap as a result of reaching the final of the Cyprus Cup earlier this year. Canada climbed one spot and now find themselves level in eighth with North Korea. The latter are the only side ranked in the top ten to not have qualified for the World Cup. China are participating in the tournament but have dropped to 16th.
Comparing the World Cup groups in terms of ranking offers the following image: Group D, which features the USA (2nd), Australia (10th), Sweden (5th) and Nigeria (33rd) is statistically the strongest group; the average ranking is 12.5. Group C, which consists of Japan (4th), Switzerland (19th), Cameroon (53rd) and Ecuador (48th) is the weakest – the average ranking. Germany are in Group B, which has an average ranking of 27.
The Top Ten
1. Germany 2168 Points
2. USA 2158
3. France 2103
4. Japan 2066
5. Sweden 2008
6. England 2001
7. Brazil 1984
8. Canada 1969
8. North Korea 1969
10. Australia 1968
The latest edition of the FIFA/Coca Cola world rankings will be released after the World Cup, which is being held in Canada.