The ranking for each year is as at 31 July. A yellow background highlights the top team, green highlights those teams that are in a higher position than the previous year and red highlights those that are in a lower position than the previous year. A yellow number indicates the team's highest ever ranking at that time.
Country	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978
Argentina	G2	G2	G2	G2	G3	G3	G2	G2	G2	G2	G2	3	1
Brazil	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	2	4	G2	4	G2	3
DPR Korea	G2	G2	G2	G2	G3	G3	G3	G3	G4	G4	G4	G4	G5
England	1	1	2	2	G2	G2	G2	G2	G3	G3	G3	G4	G5
German Democratic Republic	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	G2	G2	G3	G3	G4
Hungary	G2	G2	G2	G2	G3	G3	G3	G3	G4	G4	G4	G4	G5
Italy	-	-	-	-	2	2	2	1	G3	G4	G4	G4	4
Mexico	-	-	-	-	G2	G2	G2	G2	G3	G3	G2	G2	G4
Netherlands	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	3	2	2	2
Peru	-	-	-	-	G2	G2	G2	G2	G3	G3	G3	G3	G2
Poland	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	4	G2	G2	G2
Portugal	3	3	3	3	G3	G3	G3	G3	G4	G4	G4	G3	G4
Sweden	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	G2	G2	G2	G2	G3
Uruguay	G2	G2	G2	G2	4	4	4	4	G3	G3	G3	G3	G4
USSR	4	4	4	4	G2	G2	G3	G3	G4	G3	G3	G3	G4
West Germany	2	2	1	1	3	3	3	3	1	1	1	1	G2
Yugoslavia	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	G2	2	3	4	G3

Games included in the statistics below are those where a country has challenged a team above them (Won or Failed)
and those where they have been challenged by a team below them (Lost or Held).

Performance Statistics 1966-68
	Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank
Country	1966	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1967	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1968
Argentina	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G2
DPR Korea	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G2
England	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	1	2	2
Hungary	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	1	-	1	-	G2
Portugal	3	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	-	3
Uruguay	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G2
USSR	4	-	-	-	-	4	1	2	1	-	4
West Germany	2	-	-	-	-	2	1	-	-	-	1

The top four teams from the 1966 World Cup did not play each other and did not play any of the beaten World Cup quarter-finalists
 in 1966-67 and so the rankings remained the same on 31 July 1967 as they had been a year earlier.

Team of the Season 1967-68 - WEST GERMANY
Took the top spot from England by gaining revenge for their World Cup Final defeat in 1966.

Performance Statistics 1968-70
	Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank
Country	1968	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1969	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1970
Argentina	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G3
DPR Korea	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G3
England	2	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	G2
Hungary	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G3
Portugal	3	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	-	G3
Uruguay	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	4
USSR	4	-	-	-	-	4	-	-	-	-	G2
West Germany	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	3

There were no meetings at all between any of the top four and the teams in the group below them, between
 1 August 1968 and the 1970 World Cup.

Performance Statistics 1970-72
	Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank
Country	1970	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1971	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1972
Argentina	G3	-	-	-	-	G3	1	-	-	-	G2
Brazil	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
DPR Korea	G3	-	-	-	-	G3	-	-	-	-	G3
England	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	2	-	-	G2
Hungary	G3	-	-	-	-	G3	-	1	-	-	G3
Italy	2	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	2
Mexico	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G2
Peru	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G2
Portugal	G3	-	-	-	-	G3	-	-	-	-	G3
Uruguay	4	-	-	-	-	4	-	-	-	-	4
USSR	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	1	1	1	G3
West Germany	3	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	3	3

There were no meetings at all between any of the top four and the teams in the group below them, nor between the teams
  in Groups Two and Three in 1970-71 and so the rankings remained the same on 31 July 1971 as they had been a year earlier.

Team of the Season 1971-72 - ARGENTINA
Rose back up to Group 2 by beating the USSR in Brazil.

West Germany resisted three challenges, but held on to third place by winning the European Championship, defeating England
  on aggregate (a win and a draw) in the quarter-final and the USSR in the final.

Performance Statistics 1972-74
	Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank
Country	1972	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1973	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1974
Argentina	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	1	-	-	G2
Brazil	1	-	-	1	1	2	-	-	-	-	4
DPR Korea	G3	-	-	-	-	G3	-	-	-	-	G4
England	G2	-	1	-	1	G2	-	-	-	-	G3
Hungary	G3	-	-	-	-	G3	-	-	-	-	G4
Italy	2	1	-	-	1	1	-	-	-	2	G3
Mexico	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G3
Peru	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	-	-	-	-	G3
Portugal	G3	-	-	-	-	G3	-	-	-	-	G4
Uruguay	4	-	-	-	-	4	-	-	-	-	G3
USSR	G3	-	1	-	-	G3	-	-	-	-	G4
West Germany	3	-	1	-	-	3	-	1	-	-	1

Team of the Season 1972-73 - ITALY
Took the top spot from Brazil in Rome and then resisted a challenge by beating England, five days later, in Turin.

Team of the Season 1973-74 - ITALY
There were only two challenges in the 1973-74 season. Italy held off West Germany in a goalless draw in Rome, and
then also resisted Argentina before eventually losing their top spot in the World Cup, when Poland defeated them in Stuttgart
  at the end of the first group stage.

Performance Statistics 1974-76
	Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank
Country	1974	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1975	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1976
Argentina	G2	-	-	-	1	G2	1	-	1	2	G2
Brazil	4	-	-	-	-	G2	2	-	1	3	4
DPR Korea	G4	-	-	-	-	G4	-	-	-	-	G4
England	G3	-	-	-	1	G3	-	-	-	2	G3
German Democratic Republic	G2	1	-	1	-	G2	-	-	1	2	G3
Hungary	G4	-	-	-	-	G4	-	1	-	-	G4
Italy	G3	-	1	1	-	G4	-	1	-	-	G4
Mexico	G3	-	-	-	-	G3	1	3	-	-	G2
Netherlands	2	-	1	1	1	3	2	-	1	-	2
Peru	G3	-	-	-	-	G3	1	-	1	-	G3
Poland	3	1	-	1	-	4	1	-	2	-	G2
Portugal	G4	-	1	-	-	G4	-	1	-	-	G4
Sweden	G2	-	2	-	-	G2	-	1	-	-	G2
Uruguay	G3	-	1	-	-	G3	-	3	-	-	G3
USSR	G4	1	-	-	-	G3	-	1	-	1	G3
West Germany	1	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	-	1	1
Yugoslavia	G2	1	-	-	2	2	-	1	1	1	3

Team of the Season 1974-75 - YUGOSLAVIA
Beat World Cup finalists, the Netherlands, 3-0, to take over second spot, and also beat off challenges with victories against
  Italy (in Zagreb) and Sweden (away in Stockholm).

Team of the Season 1975-76 - BRAZIL
  Started the season badly when a home defeat to Peru in the Copa América semi-finals demoted them to Group 3, but this was
  quickly reversed, four days later, in the second leg in Lima. Brazil then went on to defeat challenges from Uruguay (twice) and
  Mexico, and climbed again, to fourth spot, with victory against Argentina.

The Netherlands also climbed twice, after a 4-1 loss to Poland dropped them to fourth, but a 3-0 win in the return fixture,
  five weeks later, reversed their positions. At the end of the season, the Netherlands defeated hosts, Yugoslavia to take third
place in the European Championship which took them back up to second in the rankings.

Performance Statistics 1976-78
	Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank	Challenges		Challenged		Rank
Country	1976	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1977	Won	Failed	Lost	Held	1978
Argentina	G2	1	1	-	3	3	-	-	-	-	1
Brazil	4	-	2	-	1	G2	1	-	-	2	3
DPR Korea	G4	-	-	-	-	G4	-	-	-	-	G5
England	G3	-	1	1	-	G4	-	-	-	-	G5
German Democratic Republic	G3	-	-	-	1	G3	-	-	-	-	G4
Hungary	G4	1	2	1	-	G4	-	-	-	-	G5
Italy	G4	1	-	1	-	G4	-	-	-	-	4
Mexico	G2	1	1	1	-	G2	-	-	1	-	G4
Netherlands	2	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	2
Peru	G3	-	4	-	1	G3	1	1	-	-	G2
Poland	G2	-	-	-	1	G2	-	1	-	-	G2
Portugal	G4	1	-	-	-	G3	-	-	-	-	G4
Sweden	G2	-	-	-	-	G2	1	1	-	-	G3
Uruguay	G3	-	-	-	1	G3	-	-	-	-	G4
USSR	G3	1	1	1	-	G3	-	-	-	-	G4
West Germany	1	-	-	-	4	1	-	-	2	1	G2
Yugoslavia	3	1	1	2	1	4	-	-	-	-	G3

Team of the Season 1976-77 - ARGENTINA
After holding off challenges from Peru (twice) and the USSR, and then failing to oust the top team (West Germany), Argentina finally
took their chance and moved up to third with victory against Yugoslavia.

West Germany resisted four attempts to topple them from the top spot, all away from home. They defeated Yugoslavia and Argentina,
and drew with Brazil and Mexico.

Team of the Season 1977-78 - BRAZIL
  Following four years at the top, since winning the last World Cup, West Germany's reign came to an end, just under two months
before their defence of the World Cup, when they lost 1-0 to Brazil in Hamburg. The Brazilians then defeated Peru's challenge, just
a month before the tournament. They began the World Cup by holding off the new second-place holders, Sweden and remained unbeaten
in Argentina, but it was the hosts that eventually wrested the title from them on goal difference, before lifting the trophy and top spot
themselves.

DPR Korea did not play any teams in these rankings after the 1966 World Cup and, consequently, dropped down a group after each
subsequent World Cup tournament.