Italian
The men’s national football team loses three positions in the FIFA Ranking due to not participating in the World Cup. First is Spain, the new World Champions.
It could have been worse. The two victories in the June friendlies of the young Men’s National Team fielded by interim coach Silvio Baldini somewhat salvaged the situation. Yet, seeing Italy in 15th place in the FIFA Ranking is quite surprising. Especially when looking at Morocco, Mexico, Colombia, and Switzerland in better positions.
It must be said, however, that it reflects the exponential decline of our movement. With the resignation of Gravina and co on April 2, we had to wait until the end of June to have a new President of the FIGC, and on July 11 to start working seriously with the new figure of Technical Director entrusted to Paolo Maldini and Leonardo as Advisor. But the most important figure is still missing: the Technical Commissioner. Considering that the Nations League starts in September, there isn’t much time left to waste.
Revolutions do not complete in a day, of course. And there really is no room for error this time. The system needs to be reformed from the foundations of football academies, and then move on to the amateurs. The same applies to the National teams, from the youth levels up to the Senior team.
A task that is not simple but has become essential if one does not want to watch the fourth World Cup from the couch at home.
The FIFA Ranking
Leading the FIFA Ranking is the Spain newly crowned World Champion, who after defeating Argentina in the Final on Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium, climbs to the top of the standings. Right behind are the two other semifinalists, France and England.
Brazil and Morocco rise one position each, now in 5th and 6th place, surpassing Portugal (7th, -2). Mexico returns to the top 10 (+4) for the first time since March 2022, behind Belgium (8th, +1) and Netherlands (9th place, -1).
The national team that gains the most positions is Norway, which moves from 31st to 19th. Also performing well are Switzerland (14th, +5), Egypt (24th, +5), Paraguay (34th, +7), Democratic Republic of the Congo (41st, +5), South Africa (54th, +6), and Ghana (65th, +8).
The bad World Cup pays off and Turkey (27th, -5), South Korea (32nd, -7), Panama (44th, -10), and Czech Republic (48th, -8) drop down. The next FIFA Ranking will be published on October 7.
Photo Credits: Figc.it
