FIFA World Rankings (July 2016): Brief Summary of Men + Women Standings

Find out which Caribbean nations have moved up, which have stayed put and which have moved down in the latest FIFA world rankings, including the CONCACAF top 10…

FIFA’s official logo and slogan. (pic credit: Wikipedia)

So the latest FIFA world rankings are out (as of 14/07/2016).

Not everybody trusts the FIFA rankings as a true measurement of where countries are at with their football development. The way in which countries accrue points isn’t always explained properly, leading to some people questioning their validity. Having said that, it’s still interesting to see where certain nations are placed and the kind of progress (or non-progress) that is being made within the system.

MEN

Note: The number in brackets indicates the country’s position within the world.

CONCACAF top 10: 1. Mexico (14) 2. USA (25) 3. Costa Rica (27) 4. Panama (51) 5. Jamaica (55) 6. Trinidad & Tobago (58) 7. St Kitts & Nevis (80) 8. Honduras (82) 9. Antigua & Barbuda (83) 10. Guatemala (90)

Summary: Jamaica drop after three Copa 100 defeats but Trinidad & Tobago move up (which is slightly puzzling given they lost three friendlies to Peru, Uruguay and China in late May/early June) as well as St Kitts & Nevis, who have benefited from a strong Caribbean Cup qualifying campaign. Antigua & Barbuda, meanwhile, have stayed stagnant but remain in the regional top 10 in 9th position.

CONCACAF 11-20: 11. Canada (100) 12. Haiti (100) 13. Nicaragua (106) 14. Puerto Rico (112) 15. Cuba (121) 16. El Salvador (125) 17. Guyana (129) 18. Curacao (134) 19. Dominican Republic (139) 20. Aruba (147)

Summary: Canada, Haiti – having lost all three of their Copa 100 matches – and Nicaragua have all dropped while Puerto Rico and Cuba have advanced. The Puerto Ricans earned maximum points in their Caribbean Cup second round qualifiers last month hence their advancement while it is harder to justify Cuba’s positioning. Perhaps the fact that they recently organised a friendly with USA scheduled for October has helped them. Guyana, Curacao and the Dominican Republic have also risen.

CONCACAF 21-35: 21. Barbados (156) 22. St Vincent & the Grenadines (156) 23. Grenada (159) 24. Belize (164) 25. Suriname (170) 26. St Lucia (171) 27. Dominica (173) 28. Bermuda (188) 29. US Virgin Islands (196) 30. Montserrat (196) 31. Cayman Islands (199) 32. Turks & Caicos Islands (200) 33. British Virgin Islands (204) 34. Anguilla (205) 35. The Bahamas (205)

Summary: Suriname are the only nation to have moved up in this 21-35 category after they beat St Vincent & the Grenadines and lost to St Kitts & Nevis last month. Vincy Heat have faded significantly having crashed out of Caribbean Cup qualifying early on and their Russia 2018 campaign is over in terms of progressing to the Hexagonal. Anguilla and the Bahamas remain rock bottom of the pile not just in CONCACAF but in the whole world. On the bright side, it least it can’t get any worse.

Caribbean top 10: 1. Jamaica (55) 2. Trinidad & Tobago (58) 3. St Kitts & Nevis (80) 4. Antigua & Barbuda (83) 5. Haiti (100) 6. Puerto Rico (112) 7. Cuba (121) 8. Guyana (129) 9. Curacao (134) 10. Dominican Republic (139)

Summary: According to the latest FIFA standings these are your top 10 Caribbean nations. Is this a fair reflection in your opinion? Does this tell the whole story? Should some nations be ranked higher or lower?

WOMEN

CONCACAF top 10: 1. USA (1) 2. Canada (10) 3. Mexico (27) 4. Costa Rica (29) 5. Trinidad & Tobago (45) 6. Haiti (65) 7. Jamaica (67) 8. Guatemala (75) 9. Guyana (82) 10. Cuba (92)

Summary: World champions USA continue to be the world powerhouse in women’s football. It’s encouraging to see five Caribbean countries here with Trinidad & Tobago – so very close to qualifying for last year’s World Cup – ranked the highest among them. For natural talent Haiti are one of the very best and Jamaica will hope to grow under the guidance of Cedella Marley, daughter of Jamaica’s favourite son Bob. Guyana and Cuba round off the top 10.

The Reggae Girlz’s official song “Strike Hard”

Caribbean top 10: 1. Trinidad & Tobago (45) 2. Haiti (65) 3. Jamaica (67) 4. Guyana (82) 5. Cuba (92) 6. Dominican Republic (96) 7. Puerto Rico (103) 8. St Lucia (119) 9. St Kitts & Nevis (125) 10. Grenada (126)

Summary: Here we see some countries with lower ranked men’s teams – such as St Lucia and Grenada – doing better in the women’s game. To have that extra bit of diversity in the standings is a good thing. Again, is this a fair reflection in your opinion? Do send in your views using the contact methods below.

By Nathan Carr

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Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave any constructive feedback in the comments box below. Meanwhile, you can get in touch with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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