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2010 FIFA World Cup: FIFA Rankings Mean Nothing at the World Cup
Published: June 7, 2010
The system is based on a national team's last four years of competitive matches with increased points weighting for more recent games, and for games against significant opponents.
The ranking has had only six teams hold the top position; Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, of which Brazil has spent the longest ranked first.
However, during all of this time no "so called" No. 1-ranked team has won the World Cup whilst at the No. 1 position. Is this because the system is flawed? Undoubtedly, it is, but there is more to it than just a flawed system.
Since the start of the FIFA Rankings, there have been four World Cups. Of these World Cups, the best showing by FIFA's top 10 teams was the 1994 tournament where three of the four semifinalists were top 10 teams.
The last World Cup in 2006, had two of the top 10 ranked nations reaching the semifinals, and in 2002 and in 1998, just one did.
So what is the ranking actually an indicator of? Is it just an indicator of the nation as a footballing breading ground, as the majority of the top 10 nations are larger nations with a larger head of population to choose their teams from, therefore more people equals more chances of a more successful team.
However, I would like to think that in the World Cup, it is due more to the vagaries of a knockout competition. The early group stage allows the lesser footballing nations to have a chance to play at least three matches in the greatest sports tournament in the world, against some of the most famous footballing nations.
It is only when the second phase of the tournament has started that the true nature of a single matc...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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