Brazil will head to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as the top-ranked nation over Belgium after Fifa released its latest rankings on Thursday. England will travel to the Middle East in fifth.
Wins over Ghana and Tunisia during September extended Brazil’s advantage over Belgium in the standings. The South American country took the top spot in March, and have edged further clear as the Red Devils lost a Nations League tie to the Netherlands this September.
Brazil now boast 1841.3 points after an increase of 3.74, while Belgium slipped to 1816.71 from 1821.92. Roberto Martinez’s side had topped the standings since October 2018 after swiftly dethroning the World Cup champions, France, within months of their title in Russia.
France won their second World Cup title in Russia in 2018 and will strive to defend the title in Qatar. Brazil will also go to the first Fifa tournament held in the Middle East keen to add a record-extending sixth crown. The Selecao are the only country to win five titles to date.
Brazil begin their search for a first World Cup title since 2002 in Group G against Serbia on November 24. France, meanwhile, start their title defence in Group D against Australia on November 22. Qatar will meet Ecuador on November 20 following the opening ceremony.
So, with that in mind, HITC Football takes a look at the rankings of all 32 teams heading to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. The tournament runs from November 20 to December 18.
Group A: Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup 50th in Fifa’s latest rankings
Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup just 50th in Fifa’s latest rankings issued on Thursday, October 6. The Maroon slipped two places from the previous standings issued on August 25, having fallen from 1441.97 points to 1439.89 after losing 3-0 to Croatia’s Under-23s.
Ecuador will contest the opening match with Qatar as the 44th-best nation after retaining their position from the August rankings. Senegal will also feature in Group A ranked 18th, whilst the Netherlands will contest the group as the highest-ranked nation in eighth place.
The Netherlands have not arrived at a World Cup higher in the Fifa rankings since the 2010 edition in South Africa. Holland featured at the first Fifa tournament held on African soil as the fourth-best country in the world. They also went on to reach the final but lost to Spain.
Group B: England and Wales will feature in the toughest group by Fifa rankings
England, Wales, the United States and Iran will feature in the toughest group for the Qatar World Cup by Fifa rankings. All four nations in Group B reside in the top 20, with the Three Lions the top-ranked country in fifth place after retaining the position from August’s table.
Yet Gareth Southgate’s side lost the most ranking points within the top five from Fifa’s last standings. England fell 8.99 points to 1728.47 after losing 1-0 to Italy and drawing 3-3 with Germany. The ties also relegated the Three Lions to League B for the UEFA Nations League.
The United States, meanwhile, fell from 14th place to 16th after losing 7.53 ranking points to 1627.48. Wales remained in 19th, despite losing 12.31 points to 1569.82, ahead of Iran. Carlos Queiroz’s Cheetahs rose up from 22nd to 20th after gaining 5.97 points to 1564.61.
Group C: Argentina are the only team in the top 10 of Fifa’s latest rankings
Argentina will contest the opening round of the 2022 World Cup as the only Group C team Fifa ranked in the top 10. La Albiceleste retained third place in the October table but sit a distant 67.17 points off second-placed Belgium. Lionel Scaloni’s side boast 1773.88 points.
Mexico will arrive in Qatar as the second-best ranked nation in Group C despite losing 4.68 points to fall to 13th. El Tri dropped one spot in Fifa’s latest rankings from its August table. Poland, meanwhile, remained in 26th place, while Saudi Arabia climbed from 53rd to 51st.
Group D: Defending World Cup champions France lose ground on Argentina
France will arrive in Qatar as the defending World Cup champions, but Les Bleus have lost ground on Argentina for a top-three ranking in Fifa’s table. Didier Deschamps’ side remain in fourth place, the spot held since June, yet dropped 5.07 points from August to 1759.78.
Fifa moved France to the top of its tree after winning the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Les Bleus arrived at the tournament ranked seventh in the world, but they moved into second after beating Argentina in the Round of 16 before dethroning Germany in the August table.
France would only hold on to the No.1 ranking until October 2018 before Belgium moved ahead. Les Bleus will now look to repeat their 2018 rise at the 2022 World Cup in Group D against the 10th-ranked country Denmark, 30th-placed Tunisia and 38th-ranked Australia.
Denmark and Tunisia are unmoved from the August rankings, whilst Fifa moved Australia up from 42nd. The Socceroos gained 4.99 points to have 1488.72 before travelling to Qatar.
Group E: Spain lead Germany in the group of death at the 2022 World Cup
Spain lead Germany in the group of death at the 2022 World Cup for Fifa rankings ahead of the tournament this November and December. La Roja are the only top-10 nation in Group E, despite Luis Enrique’s team falling behind Italy – who did not qualify – into seventh place.
Italy gained 12.28 points to overtake Spain for sixth since Fifa issued its last world rankings in August. The Azzurri are also now just 2.33 points behind England for fifth place. La Roja, on the other hand, lost 1.71 to fall to seventh on 1715.22 – 20.71 clear of the Netherlands.
Germany will travel to the Middle East ranked 11th after retaining their position despite a loss of 8.75 points. Costa Rica will also contest Group E as the 31st-ranked nation in Fifa’s October standings. Los Ticos are the lowest-ranked Group E side behind 24th-place Japan.
Group F: Belgium will target the top ranking against Canada, Morocco and Croatia
Belgium will strive to close the gap to Brazil as Fifa’s top-ranked nation at the World Cup in Qatar against Canada, Morocco and Croatia in Group F. The Red Devils have a 24.59 deficit to the table-topping Selecao as Martinez’s men lost 5.21 points since the August standings.
Croatia, who made the final at the 2018 World Cup, have climbed up to 12th in Fifa’s latest rankings. Vatreni gained 13.49 points since August when they were ranked in 15th behind the United States. Croatia have also overtaken Uruguay and Mexico ahead of visiting Qatar.
Morocco will hope to again improve on their ranking over Group F for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Atlas Lions moved up from 23rd to 22nd in Fifa’s October table, while Canada went from 43rd to 41st. The Maple Leafs gained 1.18 points as Norway and Cameroon fell.
Group G: Brazil to begin the 2022 World Cup as Fifa’s top-ranked team
Brazil will begin the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as Fifa’s top-ranked team after retaining the position in October’s standings. The Selecao and third-placed Argentina were the only top-five nations to gain points since the August table, with Tite’s team picking up another 3.74.
Fifa last ranked Brazil as the No.1 country before a World Cup in 2010, with Germany going to Russia in 2018 as the No.1 team and Spain arriving in Brazil in 2014 as the No.1 nation. The Selecao also entered the 2006 World Cup held in Germany as the No.1 ranked team.
Brazil will look to retain their top world ranking in Group G against Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon. The Eagles, meanwhile, have climbed from 25th to 21st in Fifa’s October table, while A-Team moved from 16th to 15th and Les Lions Indomptables fell from 38th to 43rd.
Group H: Portugal will arrive in Qatar as Fifa’s top-ranked team
Portugal will arrive in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup as Fifa’s top-ranked team in Group H. The Selecao have retained ninth spot from the August table despite dropping 2.09 points. Their loss of points alongside the Netherlands gaining 15.10 in eighth created a 17.95 gap.
Uruguay will act as Portugal’s nearest challenger in Group H with Diego Alonso’s team in 14th place. La Celeste fell one position after they dropped 2.24 points since August, while South Korea remained in 28th. Ghana, meanwhile, have dropped from 60th place to 61st.
Ghana will be the lowest-ranked team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after Fifa deducted them 0.47 points. The Black Stars will travel to the Middle East ranked behind 60th-placed Panama, 59th Northern Ireland and 58th Bosnia and Herzegovina who all failed to qualify.
All 32 teams heading to the Qatar World Cup by their Fifa World Ranking
1. Brazil (Group G)
2. Belgium (Group F)
3. Argentina (Group C)
4. France (Group D)
5. England (Group B)
7. Spain (Group E)
8. Netherlands (Group A)
9. Portugal (Group H)
10. Denmark (Group D)
11. Germany (Group E)
12. Croatia (Group F)
13. Mexico (Group C)
14. Uruguay (Group H)
15. Switzerland (Group G)
16. USA (Group B)
18. Senegal (Group A)
19. Wales (Group B)
20. Iran (Group B)
21. Serbia (Group G)
22. Morocco (Group F)
24. Japan (Group E)
26. Poland (Group C)
28. South Korea (Group H)
30. Tunisia (Group D)
31. Costa Rica (Group E)
38. Australia (Group D)
41. Canada (Group F)
43. Cameroon (Group G)
44. Ecuador (Group A)
50. Qatar (Group A)
51. Saudi Arabia (Group C)
61. Ghana (Group H)
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