The last FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking before this year’s showcase event in Korea and Japan reveals no major surprises. All 32 finalist teams are now placed in the Top 50, in fact, with the exception of Senegal and China, they are actually all among the best 40 teams. While a solitary point is often enough to separate teams in the ranking, the race behind leaders France is really hotting up with Brazil and Argentina equal on points in second place.

Senegal striker Ousseynou Diouf (L) is tackled by Cameroon defender Raymond Kalla (R) during the African Nations Cup final at the 26 stadium in Bamako February 10, 2002. PHOTO: JUDA NGWENYA © REUTERS
Inside the Top 50, only two teams – Ireland Republic (15th, up 3) and Slovenia (25th, up 3) – climb more than two places. Nevertheless, three World Cup participants claim their best ever placing in the ranking: Cameroon (17th, up 1), Turkey (22nd, up 2), and Senegal (42nd, up 1).

Similarly, there are no significant movers lower down the list. Only Lithuania (99th, up 6), Swaziland (124th, up 8), and Ethiopia (134th, up 6) gain more than 5 places. 47 friendly matches were played in the past four weeks around the world, bringing the total number of “A” international matches contested so far in 2002 to 244.

The positions in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking confirm the overwhelming strength of World Cup Group F (Argentina, England, Sweden and Nigeria), but also show that Group G (Italy, Mexico, Croatia and Ecuador) can by no means be scoffed at, and, on paper, the allegedly easy draw for World Champions France (Denmark, Uruguay, and Senegal) is in fact no easy ride.

  • The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 3 July 2002.

Ranking as of 15 May 2002
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
95 Albania 442 96 1 96 1
79 Algeria 497 78 -1 75 -4
200 American Samoa 19 200 0 201 1
141 Andorra 286 144 3 140 -1
58 Angola 545 59 1 55 -3
196 Anguilla 63 196 0 194 -2
157 Antigua and Barbuda 211 157 0 157 0
2 Argentina 784 3 1 2 0
101 Armenia 433 99 -2 95 -6
186 Aruba 99 186 0 185 -1
48 Australia 575 48 0 48 0
61 Austria 543 60 -1 56 -5
114 Azerbaijan 377 115 1 113 -1
184 Bahamas 103 184 0 183 -1
108 Bahrain 409 109 1 110 2
149 Bangladesh 241 149 0 146 -3
109 Barbados 407 108 -1 107 -2
88 Belarus 463 88 0 85 -3
23 Belgium 653 22 -1 20 -3
157 Belize 211 160 3 167 10
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
151 Benin 239 150 -1 152 1
168 Bermuda 187 167 -1 166 -2
202 Bhutan 13 202 0 202 0
70 Bolivia 512 70 0 69 -1
72 Bosnia-Herzegovina 508 73 1 69 -3
139 Botswana 303 138 -1 153 14
2 Brazil 784 2 0 3 1
162 British Virgin Islands 197 163 1 163 1
190 Brunei Darussalam 83 190 0 189 -1
54 Bulgaria 557 52 -2 51 -3
79 Burkina Faso 497 75 -4 78 -1
130 Burundi 328 129 -1 137 7
171 Cambodia 175 171 0 169 -2
17 Cameroon 672 18 1 38 21
75 Canada 504 74 -1 92 17
160 Cape Verde Islands 202 159 -1 159 -1
167 Cayman Islands 188 166 -1 165 -2
183 Central African Republic 106 183 0 181 -2
176 Chad 144 176 0 176 0
45 Chile 590 44 -1 39 -6
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
50 China PR 566 51 1 54 4
172 Chinese Taipei 170 172 0 170 -2
4 Colombia 728 4 0 5 1
97 Congo 439 94 -3 94 -3
74 Congo DR 505 71 -3 76 2
179 Cook Islands 139 179 0 179 0
29 Costa Rica 643 27 -2 30 1
21 Croatia 655 23 2 19 -2
78 Cuba 498 79 1 76 -2
82 Cyprus 492 81 -1 79 -3
15 Czech Republic 674 14 -1 14 -1
46 Côte d'Ivoire 580 46 0 44 -2
20 Denmark 657 20 0 17 -3
192 Djibouti 73 192 0 193 1
162 Dominica 197 163 1 160 -2
161 Dominican Republic 198 162 1 160 -1
35 Ecuador 624 36 1 37 2
43 Egypt 598 40 -3 41 -2
84 El Salvador 480 84 0 86 2
12 England 694 11 -1 10 -2
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
191 Equatorial Guinea 76 191 0 190 -1
169 Eritrea 182 169 0 171 2
85 Estonia 471 85 0 83 -2
134 Ethiopia 318 140 6 155 21
119 Faroe Islands 365 118 -1 117 -2
125 Fiji 340 124 -1 123 -2
41 Finland 600 42 1 46 5
1 France 802 1 0 1 0
104 Gabon 422 103 -1 102 -2
154 Gambia 227 154 0 147 -7
58 Georgia 545 55 -3 58 0
11 Germany 695 12 1 12 1
52 Ghana 558 57 5 59 7
52 Greece 558 54 2 57 5
137 Grenada 305 136 -1 133 -4
199 Guam 24 199 0 199 0
62 Guatemala 538 63 1 67 5
110 Guinea 399 110 0 108 -2
174 Guinea-Bissau 147 174 0 174 0
177 Guyana 143 177 0 178 1
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
81 Haiti 496 81 0 82 1
26 Honduras 647 26 0 25 -1
143 Hong Kong 280 141 -2 137 -6
67 Hungary 523 68 1 66 -1
56 Iceland 553 56 0 52 -4
123 India 350 123 0 121 -2
92 Indonesia 453 92 0 87 -5
30 Iran 635 32 2 29 -1
71 Iraq 509 72 1 72 1
15 Ireland Republic 674 18 3 17 2
51 Israel 563 50 -1 49 -2
6 Italy 717 6 0 6 0
57 Jamaica 549 58 1 53 -4
32 Japan 634 33 1 34 2
100 Jordan 434 98 -2 98 -2
102 Kazakhstan 429 101 -1 98 -4
106 Kenya 418 106 0 103 -3
126 Korea DPR 339 126 0 136 10
40 Korea Republic 603 41 1 42 2
76 Kuwait 500 79 3 74 -2
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
165 Kyrgyzstan 195 165 0 164 -1
164 Laos 196 161 -3 162 -2
99 Latvia 435 105 6 106 7
94 Lebanon 445 94 0 93 -1
136 Lesotho 313 135 -1 126 -10
76 Liberia 500 77 1 72 -4
116 Libya 374 116 0 116 0
149 Liechtenstein 241 152 3 150 1
98 Lithuania 436 99 1 97 -1
145 Luxembourg 266 146 1 142 -3
182 Macao 109 182 0 180 -2
89 Macedonia FYR 462 93 4 89 0
117 Madagascar 366 120 3 122 5
122 Malawi 353 121 -1 120 -2
112 Malaysia 384 112 0 111 -1
148 Maldives Republic 245 148 0 147 -1
85 Mali 471 86 1 112 27
117 Malta 366 122 5 131 14
178 Mauritania 140 178 0 177 -1
127 Mauritius 335 127 0 124 -3
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
7 Mexico 716 7 0 9 2
103 Moldova 425 102 -1 103 0
188 Mongolia 92 188 0 187 -1
203 Montserrat 9 203 0 203 0
39 Morocco 612 39 0 36 -3
129 Mozambique 330 124 -5 128 -1
153 Myanmar 229 153 0 151 -2
104 Namibia 422 103 -1 101 -3
156 Nepal 214 156 0 156 0
9 Netherlands 703 9 0 8 -1
185 Netherlands Antilles 101 185 0 183 -2
85 New Zealand 471 86 1 83 -2
189 Nicaragua 88 189 0 188 -1
193 Niger 68 193 0 191 -2
27 Nigeria 644 29 2 39 12
90 Northern Ireland 455 91 1 88 -2
33 Norway 631 31 -2 25 -8
91 Oman 454 89 -2 91 0
180 Pakistan 130 180 0 181 1
147 Palestine 247 147 0 145 -2
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
111 Panama 388 111 0 109 -2
180 Papua New Guinea 130 180 0 196 16
18 Paraguay 671 14 -4 13 -5
47 Peru 578 46 -1 43 -4
175 Philippines 145 174 -1 175 0
38 Poland 615 38 0 33 -5
5 Portugal 726 5 0 4 -1
197 Puerto Rico 53 197 0 195 -2
73 Qatar 507 75 2 80 7
14 Romania 675 16 2 15 1
27 Russia 644 24 -3 21 -6
133 Rwanda 319 132 -1 143 10
165 Samoa 195 167 2 172 7
159 San Marino 204 158 -1 158 -1
34 Saudi Arabia 627 34 0 31 -3
54 Scotland 557 52 -2 50 -4
42 Senegal 599 43 1 65 23
194 Seychelles 67 194 0 192 -2
144 Sierra Leone 279 142 -2 137 -7
113 Singapore 381 114 1 115 2
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
49 Slovakia 574 49 0 46 -3
25 Slovenia 649 28 3 25 0
137 Solomon Islands 305 137 0 134 -3
195 Somalia 66 195 0 197 2
37 South Africa 623 36 -1 34 -3
8 Spain 713 7 -1 7 -1
142 Sri Lanka 281 143 1 143 1
132 St. Kitts and Nevis 320 131 -1 129 -3
134 St. Lucia 318 132 -2 130 -4
131 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 327 129 -2 125 -6
121 Sudan 360 119 -2 118 -3
146 Surinam 260 145 -1 141 -5
124 Swaziland 349 132 8 132 8
19 Sweden 665 17 -2 16 -3
64 Switzerland 531 65 1 63 -1
93 Syria 449 89 -4 89 -4
187 São Tomé e Príncipe 97 187 0 186 -1
128 Tahiti 332 128 0 126 -2
155 Tajikistan 221 155 0 154 -1
152 Tanzania 237 151 -1 149 -3
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
60 Thailand 544 60 0 61 1
69 Togo 518 69 0 69 0
173 Tonga 157 173 0 173 0
35 Trinidad and Tobago 624 35 0 32 -3
30 Tunisia 635 29 -1 28 -2
22 Turkey 654 24 2 23 1
114 Turkmenistan 377 113 -1 113 -1
200 Turks and Caicos Islands 19 200 0 200 0
198 US Virgin Islands 46 198 0 198 0
120 Uganda 364 117 -3 119 -1
44 Ukraine 593 45 1 45 1
63 United Arab Emirates 536 62 -1 60 -3
13 United States 690 13 0 24 11
24 Uruguay 652 20 -4 22 -2
67 Uzbekistan 523 64 -3 62 -5
170 Vanuatu 180 170 0 168 -2
83 Venezuela 488 83 0 81 -2
107 Vietnam SR 417 106 -1 105 -2
96 Wales 440 97 1 100 4
140 Yemen 297 139 -1 135 -5
Rank: Team: Points:
May 02		 Rank:
Apr 02		 Change
Since
Apr 02		 Rank:
Dec 01		 Change
Since
Dec 01
10 Yugoslavia 702 10 0 11 1
65 Zambia 530 65 0 63 -2
66 Zimbabwe 527 65 -1 68 2

  Copyright © 1994-2002 FIFA. All rights reserved.
  Copyright © 1994-2002 En-Linea, Inc. All rights reserved.