Women's Tennis:
New rankings after Euro 2024 and Copa America 2024
This year's major tournaments have been completed, which calls for a new update. In the archive you may also find the rankings of June 15, before the start of the tournament, and November 25, 2023, after the completion of the qualifying groups.
For a complete overview, see the archive.
The complete ranking as of July 21, 2024New rankings after World Cup 2022 Qatar and Gold Cup 2023
After a few years of no updates, today a series of rankings has been added to the archive, the last of which was created today, including results from the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The list includes several rankings from 2018, 2020, 2022 and early 2023 after the Qatar World Cup.
For a complete overview, see the archive.
The complete ranking as of July 30, 2023After playoffs, World Cup qualification closes with Brazil on top
In November, Brazil and Germany both played friendly matches, and this resulted in Brazil overtaking Germany for the number one spot in the rankings. Both played 0-0 against England - so that didn't make a difference - but Brazil beat Japan 3-1 whereas Germany played 2-2 against France. As a result, Brazil has taken a 13 point lead.
The most significant development in November was the end of the qualifying campaign in Africa. The qualifiers there were Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal and Egypt. The best ranked African team is now Senegal at #22, having come from #43.
The playoff matches saw Sweden, Denmark, Croatia and Switzerland advancing to the World Cup in Europe, where Peru and Australia won the intercontinental playoffs. Sweden took 120 points off of Italy by beating them 1-0 at home and keeping them at 0-0 in Italy. As a result, Sweden has climbed to #12 in the rankings. Denmark also impressed by beating Ireland 5-1 in Dublin, after a 0-0 at home, resulting in a gain of 118 points and a rise to #18 for the Danes.
The highest ranked teams not qualified for the World Cup are Chile (#14), Italy (#16) and Netherlands (#20).
The complete ranking as of November 26, 2017World Cup 2018 qualification brings Germany to the top
This update is an aggregate update for the entire year of 2017 so far. Right now, we have progressed until the latter stages of the qualification for the World Cup 2018, to be held in Russia. In Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Oceania, the qualification groups have ended. Only the African groups will continue for one more month. In November, the intercontinental and European playoffs will be played, and it is now known which teams will participate in them.
In the European qualification, Germany was the only team to get 30 points from 10 matches, and this result, combined with their victory in the Confederations Cup in the summer, has resulted in a jump to the #1 position in the ranking. Spain also performed well, getting 28 from 10, and climbs to #3. In the South American group, Brazil was superior, getting 41 points from 18 matches and leading the pack by 10 points. Brazil climbs to #2 in the rankings, only 1 rating point behind Germany. The former #1 Argentina has dropped to #4 due to a difficult qualifying campaign, in which it only qualified for the World Cup on the last day. Other notable teams which have qualified and climbed substantially in the rankings are Iceland (#16), Iran (#17) and Serbia (#33).
The year 2017 saw three major tournaments that warrant attention. In January, the Africa Cup of Nations was played, and won by Cameroon which beat Egypt in the final, 2-1. Cameroon gained 50 rating points, while Egypt gained 58. The March 1st ranking has Cameroon and Egypt ranked #53 and #52, respectively. The most points went to Burkina Faso, which after reaching 3rd place gained 247 points for a rise to #69 on March 1.
In June and July, the Confederations Cup was played, the preparatory tournament for the World Cup in Russia next year. Germany won this tournament without its top players, which is a feat in itself. In the final, Germany beat Chile 1-0. Overall, Germany gained 45 rating points in Russia, while Chile lost 68 points. Australia won the most points after Germany, at 37 points. Also in July, the CONCACAF Gold Cup was played which was won by the United States of America, who beat Jamaica in the final, 2-1. Jamaica won the most points at 206, while the USA received 85 rating points. In the August 1 ranking, the USA was ranked #22 and Jamaica #59. The Confederations Cup teams mentioned were ranked as follows: Germany #3, Chile #7, Russia #28 and Australia #34.
The complete ranking as of January 1, 2017The complete ranking as of March 1, 2017
The complete ranking as of June 16, 2017
The complete ranking as of August 1, 2017
The complete ranking as of October 14, 2017
Portugal wins Euro 2016, defeating France in overtime
The July 11 rankings boast the results of both Euro 2016 and the centennial Copa America.
Portugal won Euro 2016 after a tight final against France: 1-0 in extra time. Judged over the entire tournament, it appeared a bit of a stolen victory, as Portugal didn't perform very well. During the group stage, it got through with three draws, as one of the best third-placed teams. This was followed by a late goal against Croatia (1-0) and a win on penalties against Poland (1-1). Their best performance came against the tournament's surprise team, Wales, in the semifinal (2-0). In the end, this resulted in a gain of 17 EPL-rating points and a rise in the rankings from #5 to #4. Runner-up France gained 55 points and has risen to #3.
The main riser of Euro 2016 was semifinalist Wales, which gained 189 points for a new ranking of #20, their first Top 20-ranking. The second surprise was the performance of Iceland, which reached the quarterfinals for a gain of 122 points and a rise to #26 in the rankings. The other major gains were collected by Italy (+111, #5), Poland (+110, #14), Belgium (+74, #8), Croatia (+70, #13) and Switzerland (+65, #17). The most points were lost by Ukraine (-176, #41), England (-122, #9), Austria (-117, #18), Czech Republic (-101, #33) and Russia (-93, #37).
The centennial Copa America was won by Chile, which beat Argentina on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Both teams gained substantial points and are now ranked as #1 and #2. Argentina remains #1 but has extended its lead after a gain of 139 EPL-points. Chile gained 81 points and consequentially rises to #2, overtaking all top European teams. Most other points were gained by the underdogs: Peru (+68, #12), Ecuador (+44, #16) and Venezuela (+109, #34).
A few of the top teams underperformed dramatically. Both Brazil (-82, #10) and Colombia (-73, #11) lost quite a few points, and Brazil has dropped to an unusually low ranking. Most points were lost by North American guest Jamaica, which lost 136 points and dropped to #80 in the rankings.
The September 1 rankings include the results of a few friendly matches, the end of a preliminary World Cup 2018 stage in Asia, and the reshuffling of groups on several continents. These signify the start of the new qualification campaign for the World Cup 2018 in Europe. The most significant changes came from Asia, where South Korea gained a lot of points from the qualification group and is now ranked #13. One new country has been included: Kosovo, which will participate in the European qualification round for the first time.
The complete ranking as of July 11, 2016The complete ranking as of September 1, 2016
Argentina moves in front just before continental tournaments
As Euro 2016 and the centennial Copa America are about to start, Argentina has taken the top spot after the friendly preparation matches of this year, making it the heavy favorite for the Copa. Euro 2016 starts without any clear favorites, with England and Spain tied in second place in the rankings, and Portugal, France and Germany close behind. Italy, Austria and Belgium could be outsiders for a deep run at Euro 2016.
A notable feat of this week's rating structure is that #14 in the ranking, Peru, is closer to #28 Romania than it is to #13 Mexico. The rankings are very closely packed from #14 on down, all the way down to about #32. In this range, there are quite a few participants at both continental championships, which should lead to some interesting matches.
The complete ranking as of June 9, 2016
Spain regains top spot after victory against France
During October and November, several play-off matches have been played. Most significantly, the European Championships qualifications were concluded with four home-and-away play-offs, in which Sweden, Ukraine, Hungary and Ireland qualified. Ireland gained 115 points by ousting Bosnia-Herzegovina, and thus returns to the Top 20 at #15.
In Africa, the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup are underway, with the second round being played this month. After this round, the 20 remaining teams will contest five qualifying spots in five groups of four. The second round saw few surprises, with only one team acquiring a rating for the first time: Uganda. Uganda beat Togo comprehensively, and will debut at #120 after taking 229 rating points off of their opponents.
The other European teams mostly played friendly matches, which resulted in a few notable shifts in the ranking. Spain beat France 2-0 and thereby regained the top spot in the ranking. France's win over Germany was overshadowed by terrorist activity outside the stadium, but still resulted in Germany dropping from #6 to #9 in the rankings.
The complete ranking as of November 28, 2015
Netherlands fall to 26th place after European qualifiers
Since the last ranking of November 30 of last year, much has taken place in international football. We have seen two continental tournaments in the Americas (Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup) and the group qualifiers for the European championships have concluded.
The Copa America saw Chile take the title, after a goalless final and penalty kicks against Argentina. A few friendly matches have been played since then, and Argentina now tops the rankings with a 1796 rating. Chile is ranked #5, and Colombia and Brazil are still in the top 10. Peru gained the most points, +205, by reaching the semifinal, whereas Brazil lost the most points (-139).The Gold Cup, the continental championship for the North and Central Americas, went to Mexico, which beat surprise finalist Jamaica 3-1. Despite this victory, Mexico still lost 65 rating points. Jamaica gained 199 points, while Trinidad & Tobago gained 176. Costa Rica underperformed the most with a loss of 167 points, and has dropped to #39 in the new ranking. The USA is ranked #23, whereas Mexico is ranked #30.
The European qualifiers saw some spectacular results. On the upside, we have seen a spectacular result from Northern Ireland, which won Group F, for a gain of 376 rating points, and a rise from #104 to #50 in the rankings. Also noteworthy was the dominant performance by Austria, which has reached #10 in the rankings by winning 9 of 10 matches. On the downside, we saw Greece coming last in their group, even behind the Faeroer Islands, for a loss of 474 points and a drop to #80 in the ranking. Maybe even more shocking was the result of the Netherlands, which came fourth in a group with Iceland, Czech Republic and Turkey, and lost 436 points as a result, missing qualification. The Netherlands can now be found at #26 in the rankings.
The complete ranking as of October 16, 2015
Algeria reaches Top 20 after qualifying for African Cup of Nations
During the fall of 2014, several competitions have taken place, although most of the action as far as the ratings are concerned has taken place in friendly matches.
In Europe, the qualifiers for Euro 2016 have started. Since these matches are processed via the final group standings, they are not yet reflected in the rankings. The same holds for South America. In Europe, a new contestant has been entered: Gibraltar. It has received a start rating of 120, ranking last in this system.
In Africa, the qualifiers for CAN 2015 (the African Nations Cup) have been played, and here the group stage has recently been concluded. These groups have been processed in the most recent ranking. Congo has acquired a rating for the first time by qualifying for CAN, and is now ranked #82. Algeria was most impressive, getting 15 points in 6 matches, and it climbs into the Top 20 at #18.
In North and Central America, the qualifiers for the Gold Cup have been played. These matches have been processed individually, and are thus reflected in each of the ranking lists of August, October and November. During these qualifications, Guatemala gained the most points (+56), while Honduras lost the most at -85. Curacao has acquired a rating by reaching the final phase of qualifications. It now has a rating of 423 and is ranked at #133.
From the last few months' friendly matches, Brazil has gained the most points (+64), thus compensating slightly for their bad performance at the World Cup. Qatar has acquired even more points (+66), but they took the whole of 2014 to do this. The Netherlands, still ranked #2, have lost 44 points due to bad results in friendly matches, and they will lose more after the group stage of Euro-qualifying is concluded, since, after losing twice, they can no longer reach their expected 27 points from 10 matches.
The complete ranking as of November 30, 2014The complete ranking as of October 1, 2014
The complete ranking as of August 1, 2014
Germany wins World Cup and takes over No. 1 ranking
The World Cup 2014 is over, and the Germans have won! After a tense final, Germany beat Argentina in extra time, 1-0. Mario Götze scored the winning goal. This result has led to Germany taking over the number one spot in the rankings, with a rating of 2002.
Looking at the World Cup from a statistical perspective, what immediately catches the eye is the bad performance of the Brazilians. Having come into the tournament with a stellar rating, mostly built up at the Confederations Cup of 2013, they never got into their stride and over the entire tournament lost 280 points. They drop to 5th place in the rankings, shared with France and Spain who have exactly the same rating (!).On the upside, it was the surprise run of Costa Rica to the quarterfinal that received the most points, 184. They went out to the Netherlands on penalties, and didn't lose a game. Germany gained 153 points for their victory, followed by Mexico (+150), Colombia (+146) and Netherlands (+129). Argentina gained 50 points. The Netherlands gained a lot of their points from Brazil in the 3rd place match, which they won 3-0. That cost the Brazilians even more points (85) than the 7-1 defeat against the Germans in the semifinal (which cost 82 points).
A look at the new rankings shows quite a change. The new top 4 is Germany, Netherlands, Colombia, Argentina. Italy has dropped out of the top 20. Costa Rica is now ranked #16, tied with Mexico. And England has dropped to a meagre 19th place.
The complete ranking as of July 14, 2014
Let the World Cup 2014 in Brazil start!
The final ranking list before the start of the World Cup was prepared on June 11, just after the final friendly preparation matches. No major rating shifts have taken place in the last month. Most surprising was the 1-1 draw between Italy and Luxembourg, which cost the Italians 25 rating points. As a teaser for the World Cup, I will include a few noteworthy facts.
At the World Cup, 32 countries compete. Of these 32, 26 are in the top 32 positions in the ranking. The highest ranked country not competing in the World Cup is Ukraine, at #22. The other top 32-countries not participating are Sweden(23), Egypt(24), Denmark(25), Romania(31) and Czech Republic(32).
The six lower ranked countries that do compete in the World Cup are Costa Rica(33), South Korea(34), Algeria(36), Côte d'Ivoire(38), Honduras(44) and Cameroon(53).
Of the eight seeds at the World Cup, only five are top 8 countries in the ranking: Brazil, Germany, Spain, Argentina and Colombia. The other three seeds, Uruguay, Belgium and Switzerland, are ranked 10, 11 and 16 respectively. The Netherlands(4) missed out on a seeded spot, because FIFA ranking rules do not result in an accurate measure of strength. (Link via @cjsnowdon.)
The complete ranking as of June 11, 2014
Last ranking before World Cup preparations
Between November 2013 and April 2014, relatively little has changed in the rankings. Several African countries have competed in a friendly tournament in South Africa. Zimbabwe was most successful in this trimester: it has acquired 96 rating points.
The qualification for the Asian Cup 2015 was completed in March. Over the course of this campaign, Iraq gained 23 points, while China lost 36 points. There were no surprises amongst the qualifiers, the only notable thing being the disappointing performance by Syria, which can readily be explained by the dramatic situation in that country.
In March, there was one round of friendly matches for most countries. There weren't too many big surprises. Most notable were Ukraine beating the United States 2-0, and France beating the Netherlands by the same scoreline.
The complete ranking as of April 30, 2014
Play-offs concluded, all participants of World Cup 2014 known
The last participants of the World Cup 2014 in Brazil are now known. In the European play-offs, Greece, Portugal, France, and Croatia have qualified. In Africa, the play-off winners were Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria and Cameroon, and the intercontinental play-offs were won by Mexico and Uruguay.
The play-offs have resulted in a few jumps in the rankings. Most notably, Mexico moved from #56 to #36, Greece moved from 10th place to 6th, Portugal from 17th to 11th, and Uruguay from 12th to 9th.
The complete ranking as of November 23, 2013
Group stages World Cup Qualification finished
This month, the last qualification groups for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil have been concluded. I have chosen this moment to conclude the season and resynchronize all ratings. The play-offs for the World Cup will be played with the new seasonal ratings - this season will last until the end of the World Cup.
The processing of all qualifying groups has led to a major reshuffling of the rankings. Brazil was already on top after the Confederations Cup, but they have extended their lead, because Spain has dropped points by drawing twice in their qualifying group. The Germans have taken over 2nd place from the Spanish. The Netherlands have reascended to 3rd place due to a good qualifying run after their failed tournament at Euro 2012. The Belgians have made a huge jump to 7th place after an excellent qualification performance. Also notable are the rise of the United States and of Bosnia-Herzegovina; both countries have qualified for the World Cup by winning their group.
England, Portugal, Croatia and Italy have dropped out of the top 10. The English and the Italians did so despite winning their qualifying groups. Their drop is caused by not acquiring as many points as expected. Especially the Croatians have underperformed; they will still get a chance to qualify for Brazil in the play-offs. Even more disappointing was the performance of the Danish, having dropped to 26th place and even having failed to qualify for the play-offs.
The complete ranking as of October 19, 2013
Football: Ranking of National Teams
My ranking system is somewhat similar to the rating system used in chess. First of all, each team has a rating which gives an indication of their strength. By playing matches, they can gain or lose points from their opponents, not from any other teams. The scoring system is somewhat different for group competitions as opposed to single matches.
The most recent ranking as of July 29, 2013
More background on the ranking system