Spain Finishes Year On Top Of FIFA Rankings, US Leaps To 18th

They don’t matter, but they’re still fun to track, provided they’re not bought.¹ Qatar did drop on spot to 114. Maybe that’s just to throw us off the scent? Regardless, let’s just let our minds go, not worry about significance or method, and look at December 2010’s FIFA World Ranking (there’s a corporate sponsor in here, but I’m trying to cut back on my soda intake).

FIFA’s rankings are a lot like those of tennis and golf. You’re given credit for accomplishments over a given time span (for soccer, it’s six years), more recent results are giving more weight, and the bigger to competition on the bigger stage, the more points you have to gain. Beat Spain yesterday at a World Cup would give you a huge jump, while a win over San Marino (tied for the bottom spot) six years ago has almost no relevance.