FIFA World Rankings November 2021: Top 10 Nations
Fans are pretty much always divided when it comes to the FIFA World Rankings. But it provides an accurate description of the current state of international football. With so many international friendlies and cup competitions being played between nations these days, the FIFA World Rankings is constantly changing shape.
As is expected, the biggest footballing names in international football continue to dominate the rankings. There have been quite a few changes in terms of ranks inside the top 10 this month.
We had the final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in November and the results from those fixtures have had their say on the rankings.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top 10 nations in the FIFA World Rankings for the month of November.
#10 Netherlands - 1653.73 points
The Netherlands have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They topped Group G and managed to send their nearest competition, Turkey, to the playoffs. The Dutch national team gained 1.72 rating points since the rankings were last updated in October.
They settled for a 2-2 draw against Montenegro before beating Norway 2-0 in their final 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier. Louis van Gaal is currently the coach of the Dutch national side and they are captained by none other than Virgil van Dijk.
This Netherlands side has a lot of potential and this is arguably the strongest squad they've had over the past decade. They're expected to turn in a strong performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar next year.
Netherlands have qualified for their first World Cup since 2014.
A return to the top table of world football for the Dutch. https://t.co/F609qd4UU2
#9 Denmark - 1654.4 points
Ever since their awe-inspiring run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, Denmark have been a mainstay in the top 10 of the FIFA World Rankings. The Danes have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup but have lost 14.44 points since October.
Denmark played two games in November. They beat Faroe Islands 3-1 but fell to a 2-0 loss to Scotland in their final qualifying matchup. Despite that loss, Kasper Hjulmand's men kept their place at the top of Group F to secure World Cup qualification. Scotland are headed to the playoffs.
#8 Portugal - 1660.25 points
Portugal have retained their place at eighth in the FIFA World Rankings but it's not been a very memorable month for Cristiano Ronaldo and co. Portugal could have sealed their ticket to the 2022 FIFA World Cup with two wins in November. They were set to play Republic of Ireland and Serbia.
However, Fernando Santos' men settled for a goalless draw against the Republic of Ireland before falling to a 2-1 defeat to Serbia in their last qualifier. Portugal will now need to win the playoffs to secure World Cup qualification.
Due to these poor results, Portugal have lost 21.48 points in the FIFA World Rankings and are fortunate to keep their place at eighth.
SERBIA DEFEAT PORTUGAL 2-1 TO QUALIFY FOR THE 2022 WORLD CUP 😲
Portugal will now have to go through the playoffs for a spot. https://t.co/BBPNNMuyYF