The Atlas Lions are world high jump champions. Performance validated by Fifa, which updated its ranking on Thursday. The first African country to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup during the Qatar edition, Morocco moved up 11 places to climb into the Top 10, in eleventh position. A slightly upside down Top 10. Brazil, eliminated in the quarter-finals, maintains the leadership, ahead of the Argentinian world champions and their victim in the final, France.
The Albiceleste and the Azzurri earn one place each, pushing Belgium into fourth place. Keeping Brazil at the top and Belgium at the top can also be questioned. Winners of the Copa America and the World Cup, Argentina are only second. This is explained by the importance given to friendlies and qualifying phases.
In 2018, Fifa developed a formula that should take greater account of the level of the selections as well as give greater importance to the matches up for grabs. “The importance of the match” is an important factor in the algorithm used. Within the formula, a victory in the group stage of the World Cup is now equivalent to five wins in a friendly or two successes in the qualifying stages of major international tournaments.
Qatar falls out of the Top 50
Brazil and Belgium both have very flattering records in these qualifying matches. In addition to reaching the Copa America final last year, the Seleçao have never lost in their 17 AmSud Zone playoff matches. In the FIFA rankings, the Brazilian course in Qatar allowed the gold-green losing just half a point since October, when Argentina scored nearly 65, losing two lengths behind their South American neighbour. The Red Devils reached the Final 4 of the League of Nations in 2021 and have won 16 of their last 18 qualifying matches, without losing any.
For the rest of the standings, Spain drop three floors to 10th, Croatia enter the Top 10, dropping from 12th to 7th, after finishing third at the World Cup.
Knocked out of the competition by groups, Germany and Denmark fail to 14th and 18th, dropping three and eight places respectively. Within the range of the most impressive leaps, Australia equals Morocco, at a decidedly lower level as the Socceroos reach 27th place after a surprise qualification for the round of 16 of the World Cup.
Among the underdogs, Canada falls off the top despite its return to international football’s biggest stage. Alphonso Davies’ teammates dropped twelve places and somehow made it to 53rd place. Finally, Qatar also dropped out of the Top 50. After being sparring partners in pool A, the host country of the last World Cup is now in 60th place.
