Euro 2008 seedings update (depressing reading)

[Schumi]

What get's me is we are ranked 21 in the world, down from about 15, yet
we are ranked 27th in Europe.

That needs some explaining.

We are ranked 14th in Europe going by FIFA
http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/statisti...p-2005,00.html

Which would put us in pot B.

That's because the FIFA ones include friendly results and the European ones don't.

[eirebhoy]

For Euro2004 France (as holders) were number 1 seeds despite being a number 2 from the rankings. They should by right do the same for Greece and probably will if it is Croatia who move down. Maybe not if it's a big nation.

I'm not sure but are you getting mixed up with the qualifiers and finals?

[Stuttgart88]

There's a big difference between the way the UEFA seeding co-efficient & the FIFA rankings are calculated.

As eirebhoy's table shows, UEFA simply averages the points per game in the previous two full qualification campaigns (so in this case WC06 qualification & Euro2004 qualification) to determine the seedings, or pots,for the next competition's qualification groups

FIFA's ranking system is far more complicated with different weightings attached to friendlies, qualification games, finals games etc., goals scored, degree of difficulty of the opposition, home or away etc. It also takes into account games going back over a number of yeras (8 I think) though the previous 12 months' results are given a higher weighting. Therefore a series of good results 13 months ago no longer have the same contribution to your current standing as they did in the last published rankings.

It's all explained here http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/statisti...2540,3,00.html though it's pretty complicated.

They say they have a computer programme that works it all out but it wouldn't surprse me if they fiddled the rankings (or the variables that contribute to the calculations) to suit the WC Finals Group Seedings that they want!

I think the WC Finals Group Seeds are determined at least partially, if not fully, by the FIFA rankings. Is this right?

Also, what system is used to determine the pots for the WC qualification groups? The same as UEFA's?

[finn]

You could well be right. The point is that, although your link does give an idea of how the rankings are calculated, it doesn't give all the details - various coefficients being used aren't given. It isn't possible, therefore, to calculate the rankings based on the information FIFA gives us, which means that they can rig the rankings whenever they want. I am not saying they are doing this, but it wouldn't surprise me.

well I was in the states a couple of weeks ago, when they qualified, and the talk there was that after they qualified, because of their ranking they would be seeded in the world cup draw!!!!!

couple this with at least one very very poor team getting through as a result of the Asia v North/Central America playoff, its pretty poor that some more european teams are not there!

P

[shakermaker1982]

That is making me depressed!!! No easy teams left in Europe as we have found out in this campaign (well Isreal kind of count in footballing terms), the old Soviet Union countries are coming along and competing as well.

[gspain]

well I was in the states a couple of weeks ago, when they qualified, and the talk there was that after they qualified, because of their ranking they would be seeded in the world cup draw!!!!!

couple this with at least one very very poor team getting through as a result of the Asia v North/Central America playoff, its pretty poor that some more european teams are not there!

P

This would be the U.S. team that were totally outclassed in the last world cup when they got there only beating Portugal 3-2 and eventually losing out in the quarter finals.

Mexico also got through to the 2nd phase eliminating Croatia while Costa Rica did not disgrace themselves either losing out to the wunner and a beaten semi finalist.

[pineapple stu]

Costa Rica did not disgrace themselves either losing out to the wunner and a beaten semi finalist.

Drawing with the latter too, I believe.

Costa Rica v. Brazil was one of the best games of the last World Cup - neither team had a notion how to defend!