There are many that swear by them, and those that heavily question FIFA's rankings system. Yet whatever your outlook on the world governing body's complex system used to grade national sides, it is fair to say that the rankings do give some indication
By virtue of their FIFA ranking, Germany was afforded status as a seeded team in Pot 1, while the U.S. was one of eight North American and Asian nations constituting Pot 3. If the draw had progressed differently, then Colombia or Switzerland could have
Starting in 1920, FIFA — the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, a union of several different European countries' soccer associations — began organizing the Olympic soccer tournaments. Uruguay won the 1924 and 1928 events, both held in Europe, setting the stage for the first Uruguay won the final — the first of six host nations to win the World Cup over the years. (Note: The colors show the teams' rankings at the end of the tournament. Blue is the
This points-based ranking system is oversimplified at best, and horribly flawed at worst. Yet it's an incredibly important factor in which teams will make it out of the group stage in Brazil. The 32 teams at the World Cup are divided into eight groups
All three sides are in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings, and with No.1 ranked side Spain already out and Portugal, ranked fourth, also in danger of missing out on qualifying for the next stage, the controversial ranking system has again come into focus
World Cup 2014: Team Power Rankings After Group-Stage Games
