Friday, May 17, 2013

May 2013: Recommended friendly impact

You have seen posts with best teams to play against. What would be the impact of such a friendly?

The best opponent to play against is determined using a combination of Elo ratings and FIFA rankings. Let's look at the May FIFA ranking and we'll see the impact of one extra friendly. The difference in ranking is computed assuming all things remain equal, except the points of the given team.

The most popular opponent for the month of April is Equatorial Guinea - the best opponent for no less than 107 teams.
Unsurprisingly, all of the top 15 teams (with the exception of the Netherlands) totals would have dropped with an extra friendly. The Netherlands would have gained 5 points by defeating Greece, but would have remained 9th.

Teams from the top 100 that would have gained the most (ranking-wise):

9 - Armenia
8 - Libya and Scotland
7 - Gabon

Recommended opponent for all 5 teams: Equatorial Guinea.

Teams from the top 50 that would have gained the most (ranking-wise):

4 - Australia
3 - Paraguay
2 - Republic of Ireland, Serbia, Korea Republic and Turkey

Recommended opponent for all 6 teams: Albania.

May Ranking - Team - Recommended opponent - Point difference - Rank difference


1 Spain Greece -14 0
2 Germany Greece -12 0
3 Argentina Greece -13 0
4 Croatia Montenegro -10 0
5 Portugal Montenegro -2 0
6 Colombia Montenegro -20 -1
7 England Greece -1 0
8 Italy Montenegro -4 0
9 Netherlands Greece 5 0
10 Ecuador Montenegro -19 -1
11 Russia Montenegro -3 0
12 Côte d'Ivoire Montenegro -3 0
13 Greece Algeria -2 0
14 Switzerland Algeria -7 0
15 Belgium Algeria -15 -1
16 Mexico Montenegro 0 0
17 Uruguay Algeria 14 1
18 France Montenegro 4 0
19 Brazil Greece 15 1
20 Denmark Algeria 6 1
21 Bosnia-Herzegovina Algeria -5 0
22 Ghana Albania -1 0
23 Chile Montenegro 13 0
24 Sweden Montenegro 11 1
25 Czech Republic Albania 2 0
26 Mali Equatorial Guinea -11 0
27 Montenegro Albania -2 0
28 Nigeria Albania -6 -1
29 USA Albania 2 1
30 Japan Albania 2 0
31 Norway Algeria 11 0
32 Peru Albania 5 0
33 Hungary Albania 4 1
34 Romania Albania 1 0
35 Algeria Equatorial Guinea -2 0
36 Venezuela Albania 5 0
37 Ukraine Albania 4 0
38 Panama Albania 2 0
39 Republic of Ireland Albania 16 2
40 Serbia Albania 12 2
41 Tunisia Albania 4 0
42 Korea Republic Albania 15 2
43 Albania Equatorial Guinea -5 0
44 Paraguay Albania 19 3
44 Turkey Albania 12 2
46 Zambia Equatorial Guinea 4 0
47 Australia Albania 16 4
48 Costa Rica Albania 3 0
49 Wales Equatorial Guinea 11 0
50 Burkina Faso Equatorial Guinea -1 -1
50 Honduras Albania 6 1
52 Bulgaria Albania 3 0
53 Jamaica Equatorial Guinea 5 0
54 Slovakia Equatorial Guinea 16 1
55 Slovenia Equatorial Guinea 25 3
56 South Africa Equatorial Guinea 4 0
57 Iran Albania 12 1
58 Bolivia Equatorial Guinea -2 -2
59 Haiti Equatorial Guinea 6 3
59 Israel Equatorial Guinea 11 3
61 Equatorial Guinea Central African Republic -3 -1
62 Cameroon Equatorial Guinea 8 6
63 Poland Albania 10 6
64 Central African Republic Equatorial Guinea -2 0
65 Libya Equatorial Guinea 15 8
66 Uzbekistan Equatorial Guinea 7 2
67 Sierra Leone Central African Republic 8 2
68 Egypt Albania 12 3
69 Belarus Equatorial Guinea 14 1
70 Guinea Equatorial Guinea 14 0
71 Austria Equatorial Guinea 14 1
72 Togo Equatorial Guinea 4 1
73 Iceland Equatorial Guinea 4 2
74 Morocco Equatorial Guinea 9 3
75 Cape Verde Islands Central African Republic 9 4
76 Senegal Equatorial Guinea 19 6
77 Jordan Equatorial Guinea 7 4
78 Congo Equatorial Guinea 8 4
78 Scotland Equatorial Guinea 21 8
80 Canada Equatorial Guinea 11 6
81 Gabon Equatorial Guinea 18 7
82 Trinidad and Tobago Equatorial Guinea 9 1
83 Finland Equatorial Guinea 15 5
84 FYR Macedonia Equatorial Guinea 10 3
85 El Salvador Equatorial Guinea 12 4
86 Congo DR Equatorial Guinea 6 2
87 Cuba Equatorial Guinea 3 1
87 New Zealand Equatorial Guinea 3 1
89 United Arab Emirates Equatorial Guinea 6 0
90 Armenia Equatorial Guinea 29 9
91 Uganda Equatorial Guinea 8 1
92 Estonia Equatorial Guinea 18 3
93 Angola Equatorial Guinea 15 2
94 Guatemala Equatorial Guinea 9 1
95 Dominican Republic Equatorial Guinea 11 2
96 Georgia Equatorial Guinea 21 5
97 Iraq Equatorial Guinea 8 2
98 China PR Equatorial Guinea 23 6
99 Benin Equatorial Guinea 17 4
100 Niger Equatorial Guinea 12 0
101 Qatar Equatorial Guinea 11 0
102 Oman Equatorial Guinea 8 1
103 Liberia Equatorial Guinea 14 2
104 New Caledonia Equatorial Guinea 8 1
105 Zimbabwe Equatorial Guinea 17 4
106 Mozambique Equatorial Guinea 16 5
107 Ethiopia Equatorial Guinea 9 4
108 Saudi Arabia Equatorial Guinea 13 5
109 Malawi Equatorial Guinea 14 6
110 Latvia Equatorial Guinea 27 9
111 Lithuania Equatorial Guinea 24 8
112 Tajikistan Equatorial Guinea 30 9
113 Kuwait Equatorial Guinea 14 5
113 Suriname Equatorial Guinea 25 10
115 Korea DPR Equatorial Guinea 39 14
116 Tanzania Equatorial Guinea 12 5
117 Bahrain Equatorial Guinea 11 0
118 Antigua and Barbuda Equatorial Guinea 24 6
119 Northern Ireland Equatorial Guinea 29 7
120 Azerbaijan Equatorial Guinea 25 3
121 Grenada Equatorial Guinea 74 20
122 Kenya Equatorial Guinea 16 2
123 Cyprus Equatorial Guinea 29 6
124 Burundi Equatorial Guinea 33 7
125 Botswana Equatorial Guinea 19 5
125 Namibia Equatorial Guinea 30 6
125 Puerto Rico Bhutan -1 -2
128 Guyana Equatorial Guinea 21 6
129 Lebanon Equatorial Guinea 12 1
130 Belize Puerto Rico 11 2
131 St. Vincent and the Grenadines Puerto Rico 5 1
132 Vietnam Equatorial Guinea 20 4
133 Turkmenistan Equatorial Guinea 72 16
134 Sudan Equatorial Guinea 22 5
135 Tahiti Equatorial Guinea 15 4
136 Rwanda Equatorial Guinea 24 7
137 St. Kitts and Nevis Puerto Rico 40 12
138 Syria Equatorial Guinea 23 7
139 Moldova Equatorial Guinea 28 10
140 Afghanistan American Samoa 25 8
140 St. Lucia American Samoa -9 -3
142 Thailand Equatorial Guinea 20 8
143 Kyrgyzstan Puerto Rico 39 14
144 Kazakhstan Equatorial Guinea 32 10
144 Philippines Equatorial Guinea 13 4
146 Barbados Puerto Rico 9 0
147 Gambia Equatorial Guinea 73 22
148 Liechtenstein Equatorial Guinea 38 12
148 Luxembourg Puerto Rico 15 2
150 India Equatorial Guinea 27 6
151 Hong Kong Equatorial Guinea 21 5
152 Aruba American Samoa 4 0
153 Palestine Equatorial Guinea 17 3
154 Bangladesh American Samoa 7 2
155 Lesotho Equatorial Guinea 27 5
156 Malta Equatorial Guinea 32 8
157 Nicaragua Puerto Rico 22 5
158 Myanmar American Samoa 2 1
159 Maldives Puerto Rico 18 7
160 Sao Tome e Principe Bhutan 26 8
161 Faroe Islands Equatorial Guinea 66 19
161 Malaysia Equatorial Guinea 18 7
163 Solomon Islands Equatorial Guinea 22 11
164 Bermuda Equatorial Guinea 73 24
165 Singapore Equatorial Guinea 17 8
166 Chad Equatorial Guinea 72 22
167 Dominica American Samoa 26 10
168 Laos American Samoa 4 0
168 Pakistan American Samoa 5 0
170 Indonesia Equatorial Guinea 27 10
171 Nepal American Samoa 12 3
172 Vanuatu Equatorial Guinea 73 20
173 Yemen Equatorial Guinea 23 5
174 Sri Lanka American Samoa 26 7
175 Mauritania Equatorial Guinea 73 23
176 Chinese Taipei American Samoa 9 2
177 Fiji Equatorial Guinea 72 22
178 Samoa American Samoa 26 5
179 Bahamas American Samoa 26 3
179 Guinea-Bissau Equatorial Guinea 72 14
179 Montserrat American Samoa 26 3
182 Curacao American Samoa 26 6
182 Guam American Samoa 6 3
182 Swaziland Puerto Rico 39 10
185 Mongolia American Samoa 26 8
186 Brunei Darussalam American Samoa 12 1
186 Timor-Leste American Samoa 25 8
188 Madagascar Equatorial Guinea 73 21
189 Mauritius American Samoa 25 11
190 Cambodia American Samoa 18 5
191 Tonga American Samoa 26 12
192 Comoros American Samoa 25 13
193 US Virgin Islands American Samoa 26 11
194 Papua New Guinea Puerto Rico 39 16
195 British Virgin Islands American Samoa 26 9
196 Cayman Islands American Samoa 26 10
197 American Samoa Bhutan 26 11
198 Eritrea Puerto Rico 39 13
199 Seychelles American Samoa 25 9
200 South Sudan Equatorial Guinea 73 24
201 Cook Islands American Samoa 25 9
202 Macau American Samoa 15 4
202 Somalia American Samoa 26 9
204 Djibouti American Samoa 25 9
205 Andorra American Samoa 12 5
206 Anguilla American Samoa 26 9
207 Bhutan American Samoa 26 9
207 San Marino American Samoa 17 6
207 Turks and Caicos Islands American Samoa 26 9

About me:

Christian, husband, father x 3, programmer, Romanian. Started the blog in March 2007. Quit in April 2018. You can find me on LinkedIn.

4 comments:

  1. Afghanistan will get 45 points and 12 steps jump if it wins its friendly match with Tajikistan on June 4, so Tajikistan is a better opponent for Afghanistan than American Samoa.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think You are missing the point here فوتبالنامه.

    SPAIN would be the best opponent for Afghanistan by Your logic :) This combines the Elo and FIFA rankings to elect the best opponent...

    ReplyDelete