WORLD CUP 2022
Where are Iran and the USA in the FIFA rankings?
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is getting very interesting, with surprise results and a mixed bag of performances keeping us guessing.
Sometimes the sport commonly referred to as The Beautiful Game carries an ugly shadow, and Iran vs USA in the decisive Group B game of the 2022 Qatar World Cup can feel that burden. It’s a clash on the field that you don’t want to miss, but the off-field noise is likely to play its part, before, during and after.
World Cup: rankings don’t guarantee wins
FIFA’s controversial hosts have brought us a variety of underdog stories in the group phase to date. Last Tuesday, Day 3 of the competition, we watched as Lionel Messi and Argentina (ranked 4th in the world) were humbled by the Saudi Arabians (53rd). And then around 24 hours later Japan (23rd) came back from a goal behind to defeat the historical big guns, Germany (11th).
How do Iran and the USMNT compare when it comes to FIFA’s global rankings going into their contest?
Where is Iran in world rankings?
The Iranians lie 21st in FIFA’s list, just one place behind Wales who they comprehensively beat in their second game at this tournament. Victory, or possibly just keeping the score level, will see the Asian team qualify for the knockout stage, and more points for the revised positions next month.
Where is USA in world rankings?
The US Men’s national team sit a very respectable 13th in the global table, although some would argue -- as is the caveat with the rankings -- that the federation your belong to defines the teams you come up against most. This can clearly influence the difficulty level for accruing points. The US need a win.
The current FIFA rankings
From the top four of Belgium, Brazil, France and Argentina, to the lower regions of Guam, Anguilla and San Marino, you can check out all those in between with the official FIFA rankings.