FIFA's First Post-World Cup Rankings Are Out
Yes, we all know FIFA's rankings are bad and pointless and the formula is arbitrary and flawed. But if there's one thing we (the human race) can't resist, it's things, ranked.
FIFA has released its World Rankings for July 2014, and update that takes into account the World Cup, and, for many teams, one final friendly. The top three, fittingly, match the medal-winners from the tournament.
The biggest positives moves in these rankings come from the Dutch (up 12 spots, previously criminally underranked), the Belgians (up six spots, thanks to five wins vs. just one loss against the No. 2-ranked team), the French (up seven spots, previously underranked) and the Costa Ricans (up 12 spots, are awesome).
The biggest losers? No surprises there, it's the nations that underperformed projections at the World Cup: Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and, taking the single biggest tumble, England.
The U.S. clocks in at No. 15, down two spots from June. They were leapfrogged by the Netherlands, France, and Chile in the rankings, but managed to surpass England. All logical moves, it seems to me.
Here's the Top 25. The full thing is on FIFA's website, if you'd like to laugh at San Marino.
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