World Football Ranking     
2000

Current Rankings


Pos.
Country
Total Points
2000
Points gained
2000
Move
2000
1    France 20.69 3.87 8
2    Portugal 19.11 2.51 10
3    Brazil 18.48 -2.31 -2
4    Argentina 18.24 0.48 2
5    Italy 18.22 3.74 30
6    Netherlands 18.2 1.5 5
7    Paraguay 17.63 2.58 21
8    Germany 17.55 0.27 0
9    Spain 17.27 -2.71 -7
10    Rep Ireland 17.23 1.03 5
11    Czech Rep 17.11 -1.06 -7
12    Russia 16.88 0.35 1
13    Yugoslavia 16.69 -0.9 -6
14    Japan 16.66 5.19 61
15    Cameroon 16.64 4.89 55
16    England 16.29 0.33 0
17    Colombia 16 1.03 13
18    Belgium 15.94 0.24 2
19    Switzerland 15.87 -0.9 -9
20    Uruguay 15.78 1.61 18
21    Croatia 15.77 0.09 0
22    Ukraine 15.72 1.01 10
23    Mexico 15.66 0.22 1
24    Romania 15.65 0.17 -1
25    Sweden 15.65 -0.25 -8
26    Slovakia 15.59 2.18 20
27    Denmark 15.58 -3.88 -24
28    Slovenia 15.57 0.48 -1
29    Turkey 15.49 -0.75 -15
30    Scotland 15.32 -0.49 -12
31    Honduras 15.2 0.1 -5
32    Norway 15 -3.05 -27
33    Poland 14.96 0.65 4
34    Finland 14.89 1.43 11
35    Austria 14.85 0.05 -4
36    Greece 14.82 -0.97 -17
37    USA 14.8 -0.83 -15
38    Ecuador 14.67 1.03 4
39    Bulgaria 14.6 0.09 -6
40    Israel 14.57 1.11 3
41    South Korea 14.52 1.52 10
42    Chile 14.4 -0.65 -13
43    Albania 14.32 1.91 15
44    Georgia 14.2 2.54 28
45    Bolivia 14.2 1.64 9
46    Iceland 14.2 0.14 -7
47    Hungary 13.95 3.16 37
48    Peru 13.89 -0.59 -14
49    Saudi Arabia 13.88 1.22 4
50    South Africa 13.77 0.85 2
51    Australia 13.73 4.18 47
52    Iran 13.64 -1.5 -27
53    Trinidad & Tobago 13.5 1.13 6
54    Wales 13.48 0.93 2
55    China 13.33 0.92 2
56    Bosnia-Herzegovina 13.33 0.19 -7
57    Egypt 13.3 0.95 3
58    Guatemala 13.04 1.3 13
59    Belarus 13.04 0.83 3
60    Costa Rica 13 -0.34 -12
61    Kuwait 12.89 0.73 2
62    Jamaica 12.85 1.6 17
63    Armenia 12.73 0.38 -2
64    Tunisia 12.72 -0.37 -14
65    Cyprus 12.66 0.62 1
66    Macedonia 12.55 -0.01 -11
67    Nigeria 12.5 -0.96 -23
68    Moldova 12.35 0.19 -4
69    N.Ireland 12.1 1.81 23
70    Qatar 11.96 1.9 25
71    Iraq 11.85 0.89 11
72    Venezuela 11.74 1.29 16
73    Latvia 11.58 -2.22 -33
74    Canada 11.52 -0.12 -1
75    Ivory Coast 11.49 0.55 8
76    Algeria 11.42 0.22 4
77    Guinea 11.34 -0.72 -12
78    Estonia 11.33 0.68 7
79    Morocco 11.16 -3.3 -43
80    Ghana 11.07 -2.69 -39
81    UAE 10.99 2.65 29
82    Togo 10.95 1.13 14
83    Senegal 10.94 -2.41 -36
84    Syria 10.81 1.68 19
85    Mali 10.72 -1.15 -16
86    El Salvador 10.62 1.02 11
87    Angola 10.57 0.21 3
88    Thailand 10.55 0.4 6
89    Burkina Faso 10.47 -0.05 -3
90    Malta 10.46 1.21 11
91    Madagascar 10.45 3.5 30
92    Gabon 10.45 -0.97 -15
93    Jordan 10.38 1.49 12
94    Liberia 10.38 0.16 -1
95    Cuba 10.35 -1.52 -27
96    Zimbabwe 10.3 -1.25 -22
97    Congo 10.27 -0.03 -6
98    Lithuania 10.2 -1.25 -22
99    Panama 10.09 3.9 30
100    Faroe Islands 10.06 1.42 8
101    DR Congo 10 -1.19 -20
102    Uzbekistan 9.99 -1.32 -24
103    Kazakhstan 9.86 -0.61 -16
104    Zambia 9.73 -2.21 -37
105    Uganda 9.72 2.16 11
106    Luxembourg 9.6 0.73 0
107    Haiti 9.55 0.34 -5
108    New Zealand 9.54 -0.85 -19
109    Lebanon 9.27 2.01 9
110    Azerbaijan 9.21 0.87 1
111    Libya 9.19 -0.16 -11
112    Indonesia 9.01 -0.37 -13
113    Central African Rep 8.93 -0.12 -7
114    Namibia 8.89 0.68 -2
115    Ethiopia 8.79 0.82 -1
116    Barbados 8.4 2.44 15
117    Tajikistan 8.24 0.58 -2
118    Sierra Leone 8.22 -0.14 -9
119    Lesotho 8.15 4.85 39
120    Andorra 8.13 1.2 3
121    Rwanda 8.03 4.47 34
122    Kenya 7.99 -0.72 -15
123    Equatorial Guinea 7.82 0 -2
124    Mauritius 7.74 -0.35 -11
125    Sudan 7.73 0.82 -1
126    Benin 7.73 -1.18 -22
127    Oman 7.72 0.38 -10
128    St Vincent/Grenadines 7.53 1.67 5
129    Burundi 7.52 1.2 -1
130    Gambia 7.4 1.56 4
131    North Korea 7.39 1.71 7
132    Bahrain 7.34 2.09 13
133    Eritrea 7.08 0.75 -6
134    Vietnam 7.04 -0.08 -15
135    Malawi 6.95 1.03 -3
136    Tanzania 6.86 1.15 1
137    Turkmenistan 6.85 -0.08 -15
138    Hong Kong 6.63 1.03 2
139    Malaysia 6.54 2.05 9
140    Cape Verde Islands 6.33 2.47 13
141    Mozambique 6.33 -0.73 -21
142    Mauritania 6.3 0.86 0
143    Palestine 6.01 -0.35 -17
144    Singapore 5.92 -0.82 -19
145    St Kitts & Nevis 5.85 0.03 -9
146    St Lucia 5.7 0.37 -3
147    Botswana 5.56 2.88 14
148    Myanmar 5.49 -0.6 -18
149    Grenada 5.36 -0.3 -10
150    Liechtenstein 5.26 0.85 -1
151    Kyrgyzstan 5.15 -0.18 -7
152    Surinam 5.12 1.25 0
153    Guinea Bissau 5.05 1.17 -2
154    Bermuda 5 0.98 -4
155    Niger 4.79 -1.04 -20
156    Swaziland 4.54 -0.65 -10
157    Martinique 4.49 -1 -16
158    Chad 4.42 2.6 10
159    Yemen 4.42 1.09 -2
160    Sao Tome & Principe 4.25 0.1 -5
161    Guadeloupe 3.65 -1 -14
162    Antigua 3.62 -0.2 -8
163    San Marino 3.48 0.94 -1
164    Cayman Islands 3.25 1.07 2
165    India 2.94 -0.54 -9
166    Dominica 2.59 0.05 -3
167    Nicaragua 2.32 -0.01 -2
168    Neth.Antilles 2.27 0.71 2
169    Dominican Rep 2.26 0.57 0
170    Bangladesh 2.16 -0.57 -10
171    Fiji 2.12 -0.85 -12
172    Taiwan 2.02 2.1 1
173    Guyana 1.79 -0.39 -6
174    Solomon Islands 1.28 -0.06 -3
175    Cambodia 0.27 1.91 7
176    Philippines 0.27 0.37 -2
177    Laos 0.22 -2.23 -13
178    Belize 0.19 1.38 -3
179    Sri Lanka -0.14 2.21 6
180    Djibouti -0.57 1.23 3
181    Vanuatu -0.82 1.62 6
182    Seychelles -0.82 0.51 -2
183    Maldives Rep -0.86 0.53 -2
184    Macao -0.92 0.28 -8
185    Tahiti -1.59 -1.91 -13
186    New Caledonia -1.61 0.17 -4
187    Somalia -1.71 0.71 -1
188    Nepal -1.85 -0.55 -10
189    Aruba -1.9 -0.58 -10
190    Brunei -2.21 -0.06 -6
191    Virgin Islands -3.04 -1.76 -14
192    Puerto Rico -3.15 -0.46 -4
193    Pakistan -3.68 -0.07 -3
194    Papua New Guinea -4.86 -1.92 -5
195    Guam -5.93 -1.84 -4
196    Bahamas -6.33 -1.12 -4
197    US Virgin Islands -9.49 -0.03 -4
198    Western Samoa -12.17 -0.54 -3
199    Cook Islands -17.45 -0.14 -6
200    Tonga -18.17 -0.71 -6
201    Bhutan -18.7 -0.16 -6
202    Anguilla -22.62 1.13 -6
203    American Samoa -37.75 0.5 -3

Big Movers of 2000

World champions France proved their power once again by winning Euro 2000 which took place in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Japan and Cameroon also lifted their continental trophies and were the biggest movers of the year. The Japanese hammered defending champions Saudi Arabia 4-1 and humiliated Uzbekistan 8-1 in Lebanon on their way to the final where a single goal against the Saudis gave them the title.

Cameroon won the Africa Cup of Nations beating hosts Nigeria on penalties after they had impressively knocked the Ivory Coast out with a 3-0 win in the group stage and inflicted the same result on Tunisia in the semi final.

Australia who grilled the Cook Islands 17-0 and outclassed the Solomon Islands 6-0 before lifting the Oceania Cup with a 2-0 win against New Zealand in Tahiti, showed their strength against tougher opposition when they travelled to Europe and won their friendly matches 3-0 in Hungary and 2-0 in Scotland.

Lesotho who had defeated the visiting Angolans 2-1 in a friendly began the African qualifiers superbly by earning a 3-3 draw at home to Ghana and drawing 1-1 in DR Congo

Hungary drew 1-1 in Paraguay and won 1-0 away to Northern Ireland in friendly matches before getting their 2002 World Cup qualifiers underway with a creditable 2-2 home draw against Italy and the 6-1 hammering of Lithuania in Kaunas. Rwanda held Ivory Coast to a 2-2 draw at home in a World Cup qualifier before beating Congo 2-1 in a continental qualifier also at home, and in friendly matches they enjoyed a 2-0 home win over Uganda and gained the same result away to Zambia where they also had a 1-0 victory over Zimbabwe.

Morocco sank in the rankings after failing to get out of the group stage of the African Cup of Nations with only one goal to their name and losing 5-1 in a home friendly to France before a goalless draw in their World Cup qualifier away to Namibia and a shock 2-0 defeat away to Gabon in an African qualifier.

Ghana who were expected to do well as co-hosts of the Africa Cup of Nations scraped through their group having drawn 1-1 against Cameroon and lost 2-0 to Ivory Coast only to be knocked out 1-0 by South Africa in the next round. They also drew 3-3 in an African qualifier away to Lesotho and lost 2-1 to Uganda and 3-2 to Tanzania in friendly matches in Nairobi Kenya.

Zambia failed to recover from their 2-0 loss to Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations and went on to play 2 friendly matches at home to Malawi in which they drew 1-1 and lost 1-0 before losing 1-0 away to Ethiopia and 2-1 at home to Madagascar in African qualifiers and losing 2-0 in a friendly at home to Rwanda.

Senegal lost 1-0 to Egypt in the African Cup of Nations and could only draw 1-1 in their World Cup qualifier in Benin before going to Cape Verde where they lost 1-0 to their hosts and drew 1-1 with Gambia. In African qualifiers they drew 0-0 at home to Togo and lost 1-0 in Guinea.

Latvia began the year with defeats to Romania, Slovakia and Lithuania in Cyprus, and also lost a friendly 1-0 at home to Belarus before succumbing 4-0 at home to Belgium in a World Cup qualifier. Their 1-0 World Cup qualifier win in San Marino also fell short of expectation.

Among the most surprising results were Brazil's 3-0 defeat in Chile and Canada's 2-0 home loss to Trinidad & Tobago, both World Cup qualifiers.

The highest score of the year was Kuwait's 20-0 burial of Bhutan in an Asian Cup qualifier.

There were 9 new countries entering the rankings with Central African Republic moving in at 106 after a 1-1 home draw against DR Congo and a 1-0 home defeat to Zimbabwe. Equatorial Guinea moved in at 125 after losing 1-0 to Angola and 3-1 to Congo in their home matches. Sao Tome & Principe, New Caledonia, US Virgin Islands, Western Samoa, Bhutan, Anguilla and American Samoa moved in to lower positions with the latter rooted firmly at the bottom after being tossed aside 18-0 by Tahiti.

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