Cameroon Looses Ground in Latest FIFA Rankings

The latest FIFA rankings for National football teams in the men’s category were recently released, and Cameroon has lost ground by sliding down nine places in the latest classification.

What is Cameroon’s Position in the Latest FIFA Rankings?

In the official classification released on the 6th of April, 2023, Cameroon sits in the 42nd position in the world ranking, 7th placed African country.

2022 world cup semi-finalist Morocco is the top-ranked African team at position number 11 in the world rankings, while African champions Senegal is the second-best African team, 18th globally.

Which Team is the Best-ranked Team in the World?

Current world champions, Argentina, are now the best-ranked team after their exploits in Qatar last winter. France and Brazil are classified second and third.

How are the FIFA Rankings Done?

How FIFA rankings are done is still a mystery to a lot of football lovers the world over. The method of calculating the points has changed several times since its inception in 1992, and the current form was introduced after the 2018 FIFA world cup.

In principle, the FIFA rankings are done so that the most successful teams always rise to the top of the rankings, typically done monthly. However, sometimes the rankings take several months before being released.

The exact calculation mechanism is rather complex, but in summary, points are awarded for winning games. The actual number of points obtained depends on three main parameters:

Was the Match Won, Drawn, or Lost?

Teams earn 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a defeat. A game won on penalties earns the team winning team 2 points and the losing team 1 point.

How Important Was the Match?

The importance of a match varies on a scale of 1 to 4, with the lowest being a friendly match and the highest being a world cup match.

What Was the “Strength” of the Opposing Side?

The strength of a team depends on its FIFA classification at the time and the confederation it belongs to. The strength of a confederation depends on the number of victories registered by teams belonging to that confederation in the last three world cup editions.

For the current ranking system, teams belonging to CONMEBOL have the highest coefficient(1), followed by UEFA (0.99). All the other confederations have a coefficient of 0.85

What is the importance of FIFA rankings?

The FIFA rankings are used as the main parameter for the seeding of teams during the qualification and final phases of major competitions. Besides this, football federations and continental confederations use these rankings to measure their teams’ progression.