As jos235 noticed two days ago, the 2012 OFC Nations Cup matches are considered by FIFA to be World Cup qualifiers and not continental final matches. See the fixtures section on FIFA.com.
This affects the points awarded for these matches, as for World Cup qualifiers the multiplier is 2.5, while for continental final matches the multiplier is 3.
I wrote to FIFA about it and here's the answer:
2002 was the last OFC Nation’s Cup edition which was not also a FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament at the same time. After that we counted the Nations Cup always as World Cup qualifiers.
All matches from Round 1, 2 and 3 as well as the intercontinental play-off will be World Cup qualifiers.
I also asked them if the knock-out stage matches will be considered continental final matches, but they didn't reply to that question.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
FIFA Ranking: May 2012 final preview
FIFA will publish the ranking on May 9th.
Only minor changes.
Argentina climb to 9th, with Denmark dropping to 10th.
Best movers:
5 - Jamaica
4 - South Africa
3 - Malaysia
Worst movers:
-5 - Congo DR
-4 - Mozambique
-3 - Nigeria and Sri Lanka
Best movers in the top 50:
1 - Argentina, Slovakia and Hungary
Worst movers in the top 50:
-2 - Peru
-1 - Denmark and Ukraine
Jamaica climb to 4th in CONCACAF. Panama drop to 5th.
No new records this month (best/worst ever rankings).
May 2012 rank - Team - May 2012 points - +/- Ranking - +/- Points
Only minor changes.
Argentina climb to 9th, with Denmark dropping to 10th.
Best movers:
5 - Jamaica
4 - South Africa
3 - Malaysia
Worst movers:
-5 - Congo DR
-4 - Mozambique
-3 - Nigeria and Sri Lanka
Best movers in the top 50:
1 - Argentina, Slovakia and Hungary
Worst movers in the top 50:
-2 - Peru
-1 - Denmark and Ukraine
Jamaica climb to 4th in CONCACAF. Panama drop to 5th.
No new records this month (best/worst ever rankings).
May 2012 rank - Team - May 2012 points - +/- Ranking - +/- Points
| 1 | Spain | 1442 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Germany | 1345 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Uruguay | 1309 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 1207 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Portugal | 1190 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Brazil | 1165 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | England | 1132 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Croatia | 1114 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Argentina | 1076 | 1 | 10 |
| 10 | Denmark | 1069 | -1 | 0 |
| 11 | Russia | 1049 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Italy | 1041 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Chile | 968 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Greece | 961 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Côte d'Ivoire | 951 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | France | 938 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Sweden | 931 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Republic of Ireland | 891 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Switzerland | 891 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Mexico | 867 | 0 | -1 |
| 21 | Australia | 862 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Ghana | 816 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Colombia | 812 | 0 | -3 |
| 24 | Norway | 805 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Paraguay | 801 | 0 | -2 |
| 26 | Czech Republic | 798 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 792 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Slovenia | 781 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | USA | 779 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Japan | 753 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Korea Republic | 746 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Serbia | 725 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Turkey | 720 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Slovakia | 716 | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | Hungary | 692 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | Peru | 691 | -2 | -28 |
| 37 | Ecuador | 679 | 0 | 6 |
| 38 | Algeria | 667 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Mali | 656 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Zambia | 640 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | Wales | 635 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | Gabon | 621 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | Venezuela | 613 | 0 | -4 |
| 44 | Belgium | 604 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | Romania | 603 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | Libya | 602 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | Armenia | 598 | 0 | 0 |
| 48 | Scotland | 596 | 0 | 0 |
| 49 | El Salvador | 591 | 0 | 2 |
| 50 | Ukraine | 589 | -1 | 0 |
| 51 | Jamaica | 576 | 5 | 11 |
| 52 | Iran | 575 | -1 | -3 |
| 52 | Panama | 575 | 0 | 0 |
| 54 | Estonia | 574 | -1 | 0 |
| 55 | Montenegro | 569 | -1 | 0 |
| 56 | Tunisia | 563 | 1 | 0 |
| 57 | Egypt | 559 | -2 | -7 |
| 58 | Israel | 558 | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | Costa Rica | 549 | 0 | -8 |
| 60 | Morocco | 548 | 2 | 0 |
| 61 | Sierra Leone | 542 | 2 | 9 |
| 62 | Honduras | 540 | -1 | -10 |
| 63 | Nigeria | 537 | -3 | -17 |
| 64 | Cameroon | 526 | 0 | 0 |
| 65 | Poland | 514 | 0 | 0 |
| 66 | China PR | 508 | 0 | 5 |
| 67 | South Africa | 500 | 4 | 18 |
| 68 | Guinea | 499 | -1 | 0 |
| 69 | Belarus | 494 | -1 | 0 |
| 70 | Uzbekistan | 493 | -1 | 0 |
| 71 | Haiti | 486 | 1 | 9 |
| 72 | Iraq | 476 | -2 | -12 |
| 73 | Austria | 475 | 0 | 0 |
| 74 | Latvia | 465 | 0 | 0 |
| 75 | Canada | 450 | 0 | 0 |
| 76 | Cape Verde Islands | 449 | 0 | 0 |
| 77 | Senegal | 448 | 0 | 0 |
| 78 | Angola | 440 | 0 | 0 |
| 79 | Finland | 430 | 0 | 0 |
| 80 | Burkina Faso | 426 | 0 | 0 |
| 81 | Jordan | 420 | 0 | 0 |
| 82 | Trinidad and Tobago | 419 | 1 | 2 |
| 83 | Guatemala | 396 | -1 | -23 |
| 84 | Albania | 384 | 0 | 0 |
| 84 | Qatar | 384 | 0 | 0 |
| 86 | Korea DPR | 376 | 0 | -1 |
| 86 | Kuwait | 376 | 1 | 0 |
| 88 | Togo | 374 | 0 | 0 |
| 89 | Lithuania | 373 | 0 | 0 |
| 89 | Saudi Arabia | 373 | 0 | 0 |
| 91 | Congo | 366 | 0 | 0 |
| 92 | Oman | 363 | 1 | 2 |
| 93 | Uganda | 362 | -1 | 0 |
| 94 | Bahrain | 361 | -1 | 0 |
| 95 | Georgia | 360 | 0 | 0 |
| 96 | Bulgaria | 354 | 0 | 0 |
| 97 | Vietnam | 347 | 0 | 0 |
| 98 | FYR Macedonia | 342 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | Guyana | 341 | 0 | 0 |
| 100 | Antigua and Barbuda | 338 | 0 | 0 |
| 100 | Northern Ireland | 338 | 0 | 0 |
| 102 | Malawi | 332 | 0 | 0 |
| 103 | Equatorial Guinea | 330 | 0 | -1 |
| 104 | Zimbabwe | 328 | 0 | 0 |
| 105 | Rwanda | 327 | 0 | 0 |
| 106 | Botswana | 321 | 1 | 0 |
| 107 | Bermuda | 318 | 1 | 0 |
| 108 | Bolivia | 308 | 1 | 0 |
| 109 | Azerbaijan | 305 | 1 | 0 |
| 110 | Mozambique | 300 | -4 | -22 |
| 111 | St. Kitts and Nevis | 298 | 0 | 0 |
| 112 | Liberia | 296 | 0 | 3 |
| 113 | Gambia | 292 | 0 | 0 |
| 113 | Sudan | 292 | 0 | 0 |
| 115 | Chad | 289 | 0 | 0 |
| 116 | Sao Tome e Principe | 288 | 0 | 0 |
| 117 | Kenya | 285 | 0 | 0 |
| 118 | Faroe Islands | 284 | 0 | 0 |
| 119 | Luxembourg | 283 | 0 | 0 |
| 120 | Namibia | 281 | 1 | 0 |
| 120 | United Arab Emirates | 281 | 1 | 0 |
| 122 | Niger | 274 | 1 | 0 |
| 123 | Central African Republic | 271 | 1 | 0 |
| 124 | Benin | 269 | 1 | 0 |
| 124 | Congo DR | 269 | -5 | -14 |
| 126 | Syria | 268 | 0 | 0 |
| 127 | Burundi | 267 | 0 | 0 |
| 128 | Liechtenstein | 261 | 1 | 0 |
| 129 | Lebanon | 260 | -1 | -6 |
| 130 | New Zealand | 256 | 0 | 0 |
| 131 | Iceland | 255 | 0 | 0 |
| 131 | Tajikistan | 255 | 0 | 0 |
| 133 | Cyprus | 252 | 0 | 0 |
| 133 | Suriname | 252 | 0 | 0 |
| 135 | Dominican Republic | 247 | 0 | 0 |
| 136 | Cuba | 244 | 0 | 0 |
| 137 | Kazakhstan | 243 | 0 | 0 |
| 138 | Ethiopia | 236 | 0 | 0 |
| 138 | Puerto Rico | 236 | 0 | 0 |
| 140 | Belize | 235 | 0 | 0 |
| 141 | Thailand | 232 | 0 | 0 |
| 142 | Moldova | 222 | 0 | 0 |
| 143 | Grenada | 221 | 1 | 4 |
| 144 | Turkmenistan | 220 | -2 | -2 |
| 145 | Tanzania | 217 | 0 | 2 |
| 146 | Nicaragua | 211 | 0 | 0 |
| 147 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 191 | 0 | 0 |
| 148 | Philippines | 172 | 0 | -10 |
| 149 | Nepal | 164 | 0 | 0 |
| 150 | Malta | 161 | 0 | 0 |
| 151 | Indonesia | 159 | 0 | -1 |
| 152 | Bangladesh | 156 | 0 | 2 |
| 153 | Malaysia | 153 | 3 | 5 |
| 154 | Palestine | 151 | -1 | 0 |
| 155 | New Caledonia | 150 | -1 | 0 |
| 156 | Samoa | 149 | -1 | 0 |
| 157 | Yemen | 148 | -1 | 0 |
| 158 | Singapore | 145 | 0 | 0 |
| 159 | Curacao | 138 | 0 | 0 |
| 160 | Fiji | 133 | 0 | 0 |
| 161 | Bahamas | 132 | 0 | 0 |
| 161 | Hong Kong | 132 | 0 | 0 |
| 163 | Lesotho | 131 | 0 | 0 |
| 164 | India | 122 | 1 | 0 |
| 164 | Maldives | 122 | 0 | -8 |
| 166 | Madagascar | 121 | 0 | 0 |
| 167 | Aruba | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| 168 | Chinese Taipei | 117 | 1 | 0 |
| 169 | Guinea-Bissau | 116 | 1 | 0 |
| 170 | Afghanistan | 115 | -2 | -3 |
| 171 | Barbados | 106 | 0 | 0 |
| 172 | Vanuatu | 103 | 0 | 0 |
| 173 | Laos | 96 | 2 | 0 |
| 174 | Dominica | 95 | 2 | 0 |
| 175 | Cambodia | 94 | -2 | -7 |
| 175 | Myanmar | 94 | -2 | -7 |
| 177 | Mongolia | 88 | 0 | -2 |
| 177 | Tonga | 88 | 1 | 0 |
| 179 | Swaziland | 86 | 0 | 0 |
| 179 | Tahiti | 86 | 0 | 0 |
| 181 | Pakistan | 80 | 1 | 0 |
| 182 | US Virgin Islands | 78 | 1 | 0 |
| 183 | Solomon Islands | 75 | 1 | 0 |
| 184 | Sri Lanka | 74 | -3 | -8 |
| 185 | Cayman Islands | 72 | 0 | 0 |
| 186 | American Samoa | 61 | 0 | 0 |
| 187 | Comoros | 60 | 0 | 0 |
| 188 | St. Lucia | 52 | 0 | 0 |
| 189 | Seychelles | 47 | 0 | 0 |
| 190 | Eritrea | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| 191 | Somalia | 43 | 0 | 0 |
| 192 | Mauritius | 37 | 0 | 0 |
| 193 | Papua New Guinea | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| 194 | Guam | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 195 | Kyrgyzstan | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 196 | Cook Islands | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 197 | Djibouti | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 198 | Macau | 16 | 0 | -3 |
| 199 | British Virgin Islands | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 200 | Anguilla | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 201 | Bhutan | 4 | 0 | -2 |
| 201 | Brunei Darussalam | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 201 | Mauritania | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 204 | Timor-Leste | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 205 | Andorra | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 205 | Montserrat | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 205 | San Marino | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 205 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2014 FIFA World Cup seeding update (4 May 2012)
Next update: June 2012.
Include matches up to and including May 4th 2012.
See more info in the original 2014 FIFA World Cup seeding post.
This is the top 20 of the intermediate October 2013 FIFA ranking:
Australia (21), Mexico (29), USA (48).
No changes in the list of seeds.
Right now, the seeds for the 2014 World Cup would be: Brazil, Spain, Uruguay, Netherlands, Germany, Côte d'Ivoire, Argentina and Ghana.
Include matches up to and including May 4th 2012.
See more info in the original 2014 FIFA World Cup seeding post.
This is the top 20 of the intermediate October 2013 FIFA ranking:
| 1 | Spain | 417 |
| 2 | Uruguay | 396 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 390 |
| 4 | Germany | 385 |
| 5 | Côte d'Ivoire | 366 |
| 6 | Argentina | 326 |
| 7 | Ghana | 320 |
| 8 | Portugal | 318 |
| 9 | England | 312 |
| 10 | Chile | 310 |
| 11 | Brazil | 299 |
| 12 | Croatia | 287 |
| 13 | Italy | 286 |
| 14 | Denmark | 284 |
| 15 | Greece | 283 |
| 16 | Zambia | 278 |
| 17 | Sweden | 271 |
| 18 | France | 263 |
| 19 | Japan | 262 |
| 20 | Russia | 260 |
Australia (21), Mexico (29), USA (48).
No changes in the list of seeds.
Right now, the seeds for the 2014 World Cup would be: Brazil, Spain, Uruguay, Netherlands, Germany, Côte d'Ivoire, Argentina and Ghana.
Friday, April 27, 2012
World Cup host to be chosen by FIFA Congress
If the changes to the FIFA statutes are approved by the Congress (Budapest, 24-25 May).
Congress agenda on FIFA.com.
Some interesting changes (membership process, limits to duration of mandates, changes in the EXCO, disciplinary measures):
1. The Executive Committee shall decide the venue for the final competitions organised by FIFA, with the sole exception of the venue for the final competition of the FIFA World Cup™, which shall be decided by the Congress in accordance with art. 81 par.2.
2. The decision on the venue for the final competition of the FIFA World Cup™ aims to achieve the objective of securing the best possible hosting conditions in the host Country and shall follow the procedure below:
a) Based on specific regulations to be issued by the Executive Committee, the FIFA administration shall establish a fair and transparent bidding procedure, inviting all qualified Members to submit a bid and defining in detail the requirements for the bidding and hosting as well as criteria for selecting the host of the event.
b) Based on its best judgement, the FIFA administration shall submit to the Executive Committee a public report evaluating the compliance of all bids with the bidding procedure and the requirements for hosting the event, taking into consideration the defined criteria for selecting the host.
c) The Executive Committee shall review the report and designate, based on its best judgement and in an open ballot, three bids to be submitted to Congress for a final decision. The result of each ballot shall be made public.
d) The Congress shall select by open ballot the host venue from the three bids designated by the Executive Committee. An absolute majority (50% + 1) of the Members present and eligible to vote is necessary in the first ballot. If an absolute majority is not reached in the first ballot, then the bid with the lowest number of votes in the first ballot is eliminated. In the second ballot, a simple majority (50%+1) of the valid votes cast is sufficient.
3. A Congress may not award the hosting rights to more than one FIFA World Cup™ at the same meeting.
4. The right to host the event shall not be awarded to members of the same Confederation for two consecutive editions of the FIFA World Cup™.
Independence: a candidate for the office of chairman or deputy chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee, the Nomination Committee or either of the two chambers of the Ethics Committee shall not be considered independent if at any time during the four years preceding his term he or any family member (spouse, children, stepchildren, parents, siblings, domestic partner, parents of spouse/domestic partner and siblings and children of domestic partner):
• held any paid position or material contract (directly or indirectly) with FIFA and/or any Member, Confederation, League or Club (including any of their affiliated companies/organisations);
• was employed by FIFA’s outside legal counsel or by FIFA’s auditor (and was engaged in auditing FIFA
• held any paid or voluntary position with a non-profit organisation to which FIFA and/or any Member, Confederation, League or Club makes annual payments in excess of USD 100,000.
Membership is only permitted if an Association is currently a member of a Confederation.
The duration of the mandate of the President shall be limited to eight years (two terms of four years each).
The duration of the mandate of the Executive Committee members shall be limited to 12 years (three terms of four years each).
The EXCO will have one extra member - the Representative of Women's Football (a woman).
Match replay added as disciplinary measures for legal persons (clubs / national teams).
Social work added as disciplinary measures for natural persons.
Recourse to ordinary courts of law for all types of provisional measures is prohibited.
UEFA's EXCO allocation changes from two vice-presidents and five members (7 in total) to one vice-president and seven members (8 in total).
The British associations EXCO allocation is removed - they currently have one vice-president.
Congress agenda on FIFA.com.
Some interesting changes (membership process, limits to duration of mandates, changes in the EXCO, disciplinary measures):
1. The Executive Committee shall decide the venue for the final competitions organised by FIFA, with the sole exception of the venue for the final competition of the FIFA World Cup™, which shall be decided by the Congress in accordance with art. 81 par.2.
2. The decision on the venue for the final competition of the FIFA World Cup™ aims to achieve the objective of securing the best possible hosting conditions in the host Country and shall follow the procedure below:
a) Based on specific regulations to be issued by the Executive Committee, the FIFA administration shall establish a fair and transparent bidding procedure, inviting all qualified Members to submit a bid and defining in detail the requirements for the bidding and hosting as well as criteria for selecting the host of the event.
b) Based on its best judgement, the FIFA administration shall submit to the Executive Committee a public report evaluating the compliance of all bids with the bidding procedure and the requirements for hosting the event, taking into consideration the defined criteria for selecting the host.
c) The Executive Committee shall review the report and designate, based on its best judgement and in an open ballot, three bids to be submitted to Congress for a final decision. The result of each ballot shall be made public.
d) The Congress shall select by open ballot the host venue from the three bids designated by the Executive Committee. An absolute majority (50% + 1) of the Members present and eligible to vote is necessary in the first ballot. If an absolute majority is not reached in the first ballot, then the bid with the lowest number of votes in the first ballot is eliminated. In the second ballot, a simple majority (50%+1) of the valid votes cast is sufficient.
3. A Congress may not award the hosting rights to more than one FIFA World Cup™ at the same meeting.
4. The right to host the event shall not be awarded to members of the same Confederation for two consecutive editions of the FIFA World Cup™.
Independence: a candidate for the office of chairman or deputy chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee, the Nomination Committee or either of the two chambers of the Ethics Committee shall not be considered independent if at any time during the four years preceding his term he or any family member (spouse, children, stepchildren, parents, siblings, domestic partner, parents of spouse/domestic partner and siblings and children of domestic partner):
• held any paid position or material contract (directly or indirectly) with FIFA and/or any Member, Confederation, League or Club (including any of their affiliated companies/organisations);
• was employed by FIFA’s outside legal counsel or by FIFA’s auditor (and was engaged in auditing FIFA
• held any paid or voluntary position with a non-profit organisation to which FIFA and/or any Member, Confederation, League or Club makes annual payments in excess of USD 100,000.
Membership is only permitted if an Association is currently a member of a Confederation.
The duration of the mandate of the President shall be limited to eight years (two terms of four years each).
The duration of the mandate of the Executive Committee members shall be limited to 12 years (three terms of four years each).
The EXCO will have one extra member - the Representative of Women's Football (a woman).
Match replay added as disciplinary measures for legal persons (clubs / national teams).
Social work added as disciplinary measures for natural persons.
Recourse to ordinary courts of law for all types of provisional measures is prohibited.
UEFA's EXCO allocation changes from two vice-presidents and five members (7 in total) to one vice-president and seven members (8 in total).
The British associations EXCO allocation is removed - they currently have one vice-president.
Kuwait FA publish 2015 Asian Cup preliminary seeding
Three days ago the Kuwaiti FA published the seeding for the 2015 Asian Cup preliminary draw (scheduled to take place in mid-October).
The pots are the same as those I've published on 30 March, based on info received from AFC.
The pots are the same as those I've published on 30 March, based on info received from AFC.
FIFA Ranking: Teams in need of matches for the May 2012 ranking
There are 22 teams that will not have the required 5 matches in the last 12 months when the December 2009 FIFA Ranking will be released. For these teams, FIFA will basically add a number of "virtual defeats" equal to the difference between the number of matches actually played by that team in the last 12 months and the required 5 matches.
Only Cape Verde Islands will be in the top 100.
11 countries managed to get positive results in the last 12 months, but they lose points because of the 5 matches requirement.
New Zealand (68th in the Elo Ratings) are also on the list - three matches in the last 12 months - all defeats.
Country - Points lost - Probable May 2012 ranking
Only Cape Verde Islands will be in the top 100.
11 countries managed to get positive results in the last 12 months, but they lose points because of the 5 matches requirement.
New Zealand (68th in the Elo Ratings) are also on the list - three matches in the last 12 months - all defeats.
Country - Points lost - Probable May 2012 ranking
| Bahamas | 198 | 161 |
| Cambodia | 97 | 175 |
| Mongolia | 96 | 177 |
| Aruba | 77 | 167 |
| Cape Verde Islands | 59 | 76 |
| Tonga | 56 | 177 |
| Yemen | 27 | 156 |
| Eritrea | 26 | 190 |
| Papua New Guinea | 23 | 193 |
| Laos | 16 | 173 |
| Benin | 12 | 124 |
| Guam | 7 | 194 |
| Anguilla | 6 | 200 |
| New Zealand | 0 | 130 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 195 |
| British Virgin Islands | 0 | 199 |
| Mauritania | 0 | 201 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 0 | 201 |
| Bhutan | 0 | 201 |
| Timor-Leste | 0 | 204 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 0 | 205 |
| Montserrat | 0 | 205 |
Futsal in the FIFA ranking and Canada's demographic explosion
Last Friday, FIFA published the statistical kits for the Olympic draw (men and women).
You will notice the dramatic demographic explosion taking place in Canada. Their population suddenly increased from 34,3 millions to 314 millions (see page 11). Of course, someone at FIFA just made a mistake when sorting the table.
On Wednesday, futsal matches appeared in the list of football fixtures and in the FIFA ranking prediction tool. This is fixed now, but here's a little screen shot.
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