A first-place finish on the last ranking of the year sees Belgium claim the Team of the Year award for 2015. The Red Devils jumped into first position (their first-ever) on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking in the November ranking, but a 3-1 victory over four-time world champion Italy in Brussels on 13 November saw them hold on to the coveted position for the final ranking of 2015. The past year has proved to be highly competitive with ranking runners-up Argentina and third-placed Spain outpacing 2014 Team of the Year Germany on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking for 2015.
Meanwhile, Turkey receive the award for Best Mover of the Year thanks to the 329 points they collected over the last 12 months of football. Having last competed at a major tournament back in 2008, Turkey secured a place at the UEFA EURO 2016 in a campaign that saw them defeat Netherlands, Czech Republic and Iceland during the crucial final stages. Further big movers for 2015 include Hungary (20 places, 313 points) and Nicaragua (92 places, 295 points).
December performances
Hungary made history in November by defeating Norway in a two-legged playoff to secure a place at EURO 2016 – the tournament will be their first major final since the 1986 FIFA World Cup™. Their November results have pushed them into their best-ever position on the World Ranking. Similarly, Kyrgyzstan and Nicaragua have also secured their best-ever ranking positions. In contrast, Portugal dropped three places into 7th having lost 145 points – the most points lost by a team in November.
The December edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking was dominated by 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ qualifiers. Of the 137 matches taken into account for the latest ranking more than two thirds (92 games) were World Cup qualifiers; eight of the 137 games were playoff matches to determine the final four teams to qualify for EURO 2016, and the remaining 37 matches were international friendlies.
The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 7 January 2016.
Summary
Leader
Belgium (unchanged)
Moves into top ten
none
Moves out of top ten
none
Matches played in total
137
Most matches played
Congo DR, Zambia, Angola, Namibia (4 matches each)
Biggest move by points
Hungary (plus 186 points)
Biggest move by ranks
Libya (plus 32 ranks)
Biggest drop by points
Portugal (minus 145 points)
Biggest drop by ranks
Liberia (minus 21 ranks)