FIFA Rankings to be used for WC Qualifying Seedings

[eirebhoy]

We like our FIFA ranking debates on this forum so at least there's reason for a debate this time. Just as long as everyone remembers that the new ranking system is only a year or so old.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/comme...871529,00.html

1. Italy
2. Germany
3. Netherlands
4. France
5. Spain
6. Portugal
7. England
8. Croatia
9. Czech Republic

10. Romania
11. Scotland
12. Greece
13. Poland
14. Ukraine
15. Sweden
16. Turkey
17. Serbia
18. Russia

19. Denmark
20. Norway
21. Ireland
22. Israel
23. Bulgaria
24. N. Ireland
25. Bosnia
26. Switzerland
27. Finland

28. Slovakia
29. Wales
30. Hungary
31. Belgium
32. Macedonia
33. Cyprus
34. Belarus
35. Slovenia
36. Albania

37. Iceland
38. Moldova
39. Lithuania
40. Austria
41. Armenia
42. Latvia
43. Georgia
44. Azerbaijan
45. Kazakhstan

46. Malta
47. Estonia
48. Liechtenstein
49. Andorra
50. Luxembourg
51. Faroe Islands
52. San Marino
53. Montenegro

[pineapple stu]

Which would mean seedings as follows -

1	Italy	A
2	France	A
3	Germany	A
4	Croatia	A
5	Netherlands	A
6	Spain	A
7	Czech Republic	A
8	Portugal	A
9	England	A
10	Romania	B
11	Greece	B
12	Ukraine	B
13	Serbia	B
14	Sweden	B
15	Poland	B
16	Turkey	B
17	Scotland	B
18	Russia	B
19	Bosnia-Herzegovina	C
20	Northern Ireland	C
21	Bulgaria	C
22	Denmark	C
23	Israel	C
24	Norway	C
25	Republic of Ireland	C
26	Finland	C
27	Slovakia	C
28	Switzerland	D
29	Hungary	D
30	Albania	D
31	FYR Macedonia	D
32	Belarus	D
33	Belgium	D
34	Wales	D
35	Lithuania	D
36	Armenia	D
37	Cyprus	E
38	Austria	E
39	Slovenia	E
40	Georgia	E
41	Moldova	E
42	Azerbaijan	E
43	Latvia	E
44	Kazakhstan	E
45	Malta	E
46	Iceland	F
47	Estonia	F
48	Liechtenstein	F
49	Andorra	F
50	Luxembourg	F
51	Faroe Islands	F
52	San Marino	F
53	Montenegro	F

[danonion]

I think we have a good shot of getting a decent draw for these qualifiers. Drawing a team like Scotland being seeded higher than us is advantageous - they are doing well now but they do not have the pedigree of teams like France, Italy etc. and 2 years from now they might be spiraling back to obscurity.

[geysir]

So this is not a wind up? FIFA are going to use their own rankings?
Did I ever mention how proud I was of Brian Kerr and all those extremly valuable friendly victories, a man with vision sure enough.

[Kingdom]

Was just wondering about thta. DId we accumulate ranking points as a result of those friendly results?

[geysir]

Which would mean seedings as follows -

The FIFA rankings are confusing enough
Eirebhoy has given the up to date rankings for Sept. (despite the cryptic intro)

[pineapple stu]

Ah. Mine go to August. Thank God for drawing in Slovakia and losing to the Czechs, eh?!

[Armando]

Are Montenegro going to join up as bottom seeds?
Christ nobody would want to get them!

[geysir]

Was just wondering about thta. DId we accumulate ranking points as a result of those friendly results?

We sure did, but it helps to understand something of how the FIFA ranking points are calculated.
I think we have around 7 or 8 friendly victories from Kerr's time in the Fifa 4 year calculation period.

[stojkovic]

With a new manager and new captain I would fancy us taking Croatia and the Czechs from Pool A and every team from Pool B.

Alas,

[gspain]

Remember the rankings can change dramatically with the new system.

Our previous October (and possibly november results) will be all be downgraded. I know that includes the defeat in Cyprus but we also lose a lot of positive October results - draw v Czech, win in Cyprus, draw v Swiss, win v Faroes, Draw in Paris.

It is still unlikely we'll drop out of the 3rd seeds. A win over Germany would be massive and could lead to us being upgraded to 2nd seeds.

[gspain]

With a new manager and new captain I would fancy us taking Croatia and the Czechs from Pool A and every team from Pool B.

Alas,

and with the current manager I'd fancy us to beat San Marino at home and maybe sneak a draw away.

[NeilMcD]

At what point are the rankings used though. Are they the latest ones or the ones at the time of the draw.

[Stuttgart88]

Whichever is more convenient for FIFA to seed the draw as they'd like it.

[gspain]

Whichever is more convenient for FIFA to seed the draw as they'd like it.

Next you'll be suggesting they changed the rules to benefit big influential countries like France, Spain and Portugal and screwed Eastern european countries like Poland and Romania.

At the same meeting they decided to dispense with the original coefficient table based on the 2 previous campaigns they decided the use the same table for seedings for the finals of Euro2008.

Anyone remember the complicated formula used to seed England ahead of Spain and Belgium for the 1990 world cup?

The FIFA rankings are normally out around the 15th. This allows the opportunity to include results on the 17th and 21st November or not depending on who benefits from them.

In the end I can't see any of this affecting us. we needed a win over cyprus to be 3rd seeds under the old system and even our world class maanger will probably manage that. We will probably be OK also for ranking points to maintain a 3rd seed under the new system. Indeed there is now a small chance of a 2nd seed.

[AustinoAsprilla]

"I see Switzerland would be in the group D pot . . . . I'm sure we could beat them home and away."

Doubt it VERY much... 2 points out of 12 against them recently. I'd say we should be delighted not to get them. I think they are in the same pool as us anyway, not Slovakia.

[noby]

"I see Switzerland would be in the group D pot . . . . I'm sure we could beat them home and away."

Doubt it VERY much... 2 points out of 12 against them recently. I'd say we should be delighted not to get them. I think they are in the same pool as us anyway, not Slovakia.

Time to calibrate your sarcasm-o-meter.

[AustinoAsprilla]

Anyone here believe we are a better team than Switzerland?

[Stuttgart88]

No, and we're definitely not better than Croatia as suggested above no matter who our manager or captain is.

[AustinoAsprilla]

I think we should hope for Germany and Scotland and a bit of luck in the Play-offs!!

Germany will 'crush' any team hoping to compete for 2nd place with us and we have a slim chance of doing something at home against them...

Then use the fact that Scotland is close enough to a derby in football terms to our advantage...

Sad fact is, we need to worry about the fourth pool now as well.