The ranking system, in which FIFA ranks each country, has lost face due to numerous incidents in the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The United States, which reigned supreme 스포츠토토 in women’s soccer, is the main reason for the disappointment in the FIFA rankings. In the Round of 16 of the Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup held in Melbourne, Australia on the 6th, the United States tied 0-0 with Sweden over 90 minutes in the first and second half, and lost 4-5 in a penalty shoot-out. The U.S. was eliminated in the round of 16 for the first time in women’s World Cup history.

It is understandable that the U.S., which was aiming for a third consecutive World Cup title, stopped trying. The opponent, Sweden, is not only a strong player in third place, but there are so many variables that the penalty shootout itself is likened to Russian roulette.

However, the U.S. struggled against low-ranking teams from the group stage. The U.S. only had a 3-0 victory over Vietnam (ranked 32nd) in the first match, but drew with the Netherlands (ranked 9th) in the second match and Portugal (ranked 21st) in the third match.

2nd place Germany also contributed to the FIFA ranking useless theory. Germany defeated Morocco (ranked 72nd) 6-0 in the first match of the group stage, but suffered a 1-2 defeat to Colombia (ranked 25th) in the second match of the group stage. In the end, they drew 1-1 in the final match against South Korea (17th) in the group stage, ending up in third place in the group, and were eliminated from the group stage for the first time ever.

If we expand the scope to the 10th place in the FIFA rankings, 7th place Canada and 8th place Brazil also left a disappointing result of being eliminated from the group stage. In Group B, Canada drew 0-0 with Nigeria (ranked 40th), the lowest ranked team, and fell to 3rd place. Brazil also suffered a 0-0 draw with Jamaica (ranked 43rd) in Group F.

The reason why the FIFA ranking has lost credibility can be explained in two aspects. FIFA ranks each month by considering the win/loss of the A match, the record against the opposing team, and the importance of the game. Compared to 2021, when there were no major tournaments, Korea played 10 and 8 A matches for men and women, respectively.

In addition, the change in the level of strength and stamina required in women’s soccer has also led to a loss of trust in the ranking system.

In the past, teams with excellent technology were dominant, but in this competition, there were many cases where the victory or defeat depended on ‘strength’ such as quickness, focus, physical strength, and height. Korea, which was eliminated in the group stage for the second consecutive time following the 2019 tournament in France, also experienced limitations in this area.

However, there is a possibility that the FIFA ranking useless theory will change depending on the remaining tournament results. With the World Cup entering the quarterfinals, if Spain (6th place), the Netherlands (9th place), and Sweden, which are doing well, even lift the championship cup, the focus will be on supplementing the ranking system rather than extreme futility.