FIFA Rankings 2015: Colombia, Brazil & Argentina Drop; Chile & Mexico Rise
The new FIFA rankings have been released.
Germany fell from the No. 1 spot and Belgium has taken over the top seed in the world. As usual, South America and Europe dominate the rankings. The top 21 national teams all hail from those two soccer driven continents. The highest ranked national team outside of South America or Europe is Ivory Coast at No. 22.
Colombia, Brazil and Argentina each fell slightly, but all remain in the top 10 respectively. Colombia had their best ever FIFA World Cup appearance last year but had a disappointing Copa America losing in the quarterfinals. Brazil, who also lost in the quarterfinals of the Copa America, fell to No. 8 in the rankings because of their disappointing loss to Paraguay. Neymar's four game suspension is over, so you can bet they will only get better from here on out.
As predicted, Argentina is the highest ranked CONMEBOL team. Lionel Messi led Argentina to the finals of the FIFA World Cup last year and the championship game of the Copa America this year. Although both games ended in defeat, Argentina still has the best player and a strong squad for the foreseeable future.
Chile made the biggest jump by a South American team ranked in the top 10. They went from No. 9 to No. 5, the highest they have ever ranked. Their victory at the Copa America makes them the team to beat in South America. Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sánchez create one of the best offenses in the world, and Arturo Vidal is a very skilled middle fielder.
It's pretty surprising to see England in the top 10.
Another Latin American team that saw a rise was Mexico. Javier Hernandez and Andres Guardado led Mexico to a 2017 Confederations Cup birth over the United States. Mexico, like Chile, won their continental tournament this year as well, the Gold Cup. Mexico beat Jamaica in the finals, and they now rank No. 24 in the world. That's the highest of any CONCACAF team as the United States ranks 33rd overall. With Venezuela ranking No. 83, all 10 South American national teams currently rank in the top 100. With Luis Suarez coming back soon for Uruguay, CONMEBOL will be stronger than ever.
The best movement was made by Chad who moved up 36 spots. Sudan experienced the biggest drop falling 44 spots.
Top 10 national team rankings by FIFA
1. Belgium
2. Germany
3. Argentina
4. Portugal
5. Chile
6. Spain
7. Colombia
8. Brazil
9. England
10. Austria
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1
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