The FIFA world ranking table remains a point of great debate, as its system plays an essential role in tournament seedings and can see teams like Brazil and Argentina slide further down while Australia can climb higher up the ladder.
One major drawback of the ranking system is that friendly results are given less weight than results from major competitions, meaning that teams like Brazil can fall out of contention by failing in qualifiers.
Brazil
Brazil is home to some of the greatest footballers ever and regards football almost like religion, earning itself a special place in history as “the beautiful game.” Football remains a source of national pride and unites the Brazilian people together as an expression of national identity.
Brazil remains at the top of FIFA rankings leading up to the 2022 World Cup. They are followed by Argentina, France and Belgium – five-time tournament winners themselves.
Argentina earned an upgrade, yet were unable to dislodge Brazil as penalty shootout wins count for less points than regular-time victories. England retained fifth, with quarter-finalists Netherlands moving two positions up into sixth. Morocco and Australia each saw themselves climb 11 spots.
Germany
Germany is one of the most successful nations in football. It holds the record for most World Cup wins with three victories to its name and has qualified for every competition it has entered since 1930 with exception to its inaugural tournament.
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Germans love celebrating national team victories with packed stadiums and huge crowds that turn up every time, creating a sea of black, red and gold flags in celebration. No other institution resonates as strongly with their public as does Die Nationalmannschaft.
Flick boasts speed, variety and quality up front with Youssoufa Moukoko and Niclas Fullkrug creating an effective partnership up front. However, they still lack an elite center-forward who can unlock deep defences and score against teams with effective defensive structures.
Argentina
Argentina, South America’s second-largest nation, is a democratic society led by an elected president who enjoys widespread support. Argentina boasts strong economic foundations and boasts one of Latin America’s highest standard of living for its residents.
Argentina experienced political transformations throughout the 20th century, moving between pro-market and populist governments that increased social spending while expanding government control of the economy. Unemployment and poverty rates declined, yet high inflation remains an ongoing challenge.
Argentina is an influential regional power and leader of Mercosur trade bloc, often aligning its foreign policy with that of the United States. Argentina belongs to both Organization of American States and World Bank; its leaders actively participate in both organizations as well as numerous multinational corporations which call Argentine home.
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Italy
Italy is renowned for their football prowess. In their golden era of the 1970s, Italy won four consecutive World Cup championships and were ranked No. 1. They secured their first tournament victory against Argentina, Brazil and Netherlands to advance into the finals – ultimately losing out to host nation Germany but securing themselves a bronze medal award nonetheless.
Things soon began to decline after that; they failed to advance past the group stages at both of 2010 and 2014 World Cups and failed to qualify for 2016 European Championship.
However, things appear to be looking up for Roberto Mancini since taking over in 2018. The former Manchester City boss led them back into prominence, reaching the semifinals of Euro 2020 and earning them a place in UEFA Nations League qualification.
Portugal
Portugal is well known for its vibrant culture, delectable gastronomy and breathtaking natural scenery. Furthermore, Portugal has a long and distinguished history; several landmarks designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites bear witness.
Portugal boasts an outstanding record on human rights and is one of the EU’s most progressive performers in terms of LGBT equality. Lisbon serves as its capital city, serving as an exciting center for art, music and technology.
Santos boasts some versatility in midfield with Vitinha, Matheus Nunes and Joao Palhinha providing depth alongside Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo for more attacking options. However, their lack of pace behind their defence could present difficulties against fast teams; Cristiano Ronaldo leads as captain. Currently he stands as all-time scorer.