The Copa America 2024 will see Argentina go all out to defend their title, as part of an incredible period of recent success for Lionel Messi and Co.
La Albiceleste secured the Copa America title in Brazil back in 2021 with victory against their arch enemies in the final in Rio de Janeiro.
And then, led by the inspirational Messi, Argentina clinched the FIFA World Cup trophy at the end of 2022, to finally fill the title gap which had overshadowed their iconic No. 10’s international career.
Argentina are currently the top-ranked FIFA national side, but will that help them to success in this summer’s tournament?
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Argentina are the pre-tournament favorites for Copa America glory, with Brazil slipping down to fifth on FIFA’s latest list. No other entrant at the Copa makes it into the current top 10.
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Argentina will fancy their chances of defending the Copa America crown in the coming weeks, with Brazil their traditional main challenger.
However, the pressure of being the top-ranked side has not always been a seal of success, ever since the inception of FIFA rankings in 1992.
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FIFA rankings have existed since 1992 and uses a points-scoring system to work out standings.
The method for calculating FIFA rankings was officially changed in August 2018.
This new system works by adding or subtracting points from a team’s previous total based on results rather than using an average number of points earned over a certain period.
The number of points added or subtracted is influenced by the quality of opponent a team faces. For example, beating a team ranked inside the top 10 will result in more points being gained than defeating a side ranked outside the top 20. The expected result of the game will also impact the number of points gained.
Specific games are given more weight too, so winning a World Cup match will result in more points than claiming victory in an international friendly.
Matches decided by penalty shootouts are a factor as well with losing teams given the same points as for a draw, while winners only get points equivalent to half a win.
Losing knockout round matches of final competitions also won’t result in teams losing any points.
Here’s a calculation example provided by FIFA:
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FIFA rankings are updated after each recognised international window.
As such, they are generally revised several times a year depending on the FIFA calendar, the most recent coming in April 2024.
Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News.
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