Brazil will enter the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as the number one ranked team in the world. The five-time champions not only maintained their top spot, but widened the gap to second-place Belgium.
Recent international friendlies and UEFA Nations League matches impacted the new FIFA world rankings published on Thursday. In total, 119 international friendly matches and 53 UEFA Nations League matches were taken into account.
Brazil number one in the world ranking
Brazil reinforced its position in the number one position due to victories against Ghana and Tunisia during the last international break. The South American giants have not lost a match since the 2021 Copa América final against rivals Argentina.
The United States men’s national team dropped to 16th in the standings. Previously 14th, the Americans fell due to disappointing performances against Japan and Saudi Arabia. Gregg Berhalter’s team will stumble into the next World Cup having won just once in their last five games. The only victory was a 5-0 thrashing of Granada, 173 in the world, in June.
World Cup Group B will be a pretty tough test for the USMNT. The Americans will face England, Wales and Iran in an effort to advance to the knockout rounds. On paper, it will be one of the most competitive groups in the tournament. In fact, Group B is the only group in which all teams are currently ranked in the top 20.
England, one of the favorites to win the tournament, is currently ranked fifth in FIFA. Wales and Iran are ranked 19th and 20th respectively. The USMNT begins its World Cup against Wales on November 21 in Qatar.
The ones that move the most in the new rankings are teams that will not participate in the 2022 World Cup. Scotland (40th) and Azerbaijan (123rd) have risen five places since the last rankings were published. Norway dropped the most places from 36th to 42nd in the rankings.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/MN Photo Press.
