Fifa unveiled the football nations ranking on Thursday and France, seventh before the World Cup, took first place.
The football team of France, the world champion in July, climbed six places on Thursday to take the top spot of nations regularly published by Fifa , which changed its calculation method.
Sur le toit du monde ! 🏆
Champions du monde il y a un mois, et aujourd’hui, en tête du #ClassementFIFA 📈
Félicitations à l’ @equipedefrance 🇫🇷🙌 pic.twitter.com/Xa4IijdDDN
— Coupe du Monde 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_fr) 16 August 2018
Les Bleus, seventh before their coronation, are ahead of Belgium, which gains a place, and Brazil, which loses one. Croatia, finalist of the World Cup 2018, jumped 16 positions to take 4th place.
FIFA, which observes that this ranking is “radically upset by the World Cup and the adoption of a new method of calculation,” also notes the downfall of Germany who was leading before the competition, but loses 14 ranks to now point to 15th, after being eliminated from the group stage.
More weight in official matches
“We decided to amend a little bit the calculation” of the ranking FIFA, established each month, to “give more weight to the official matches,” explained in June the president of the international body, Gianni Infantino, doing the wish that the new formula “will be a little less subject to criticism”.
The new classification formula was established “by a group of sport specialists and statisticians” and based “on the Elo calculation method”, then explained the FIFA, according to which this new method of calculation was to “avoid potential manipulations of ranking and offer each team equivalent opportunities to climb the rankings.
New Fifa ranking of August 18th:
- France (+6) 1726 pts
- Belgium (+1) 1723
- Brazil (-1) 1657
- Croatia (+16) 1643
- Uruguay (+9) 1627
- England (+6) 1615
- Portugal (-3) 1599
- Suisse (-2) 1597
- Spain (+1) 1580
- Denmark (+3) 1580
- Argentine (-6) 1574
- Chili (-3) 1570
- Sweden (+11) 1565
- Colombia (+2) 1563
- Germany (-14) 1561
- Mexico (-1) 1560
- Netherlands (0) 1540
- Poland (-10) 1538
- Wales (-1) 1536
- Peru (-9) 1535
- Italy (-2) 1532
Next ranking on September 20th
