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2002 FIFA World Rankings 2003 2004
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England's FIFA World Rankings 2003
Date 15 Jan 19 Feb

26 Mar

 23 Apr 21 May 25 Jun 30 Jul 27 Aug 24 Sep 22 Oct 19 Nov 15 Dec
Rank 8 8 9 7 7 8 10 8 6 6 8 ►8
Points 734 731 725 742 739 727 726 733 745 745 738 738
Change/Last ▼1 ► ▼1 ▲2 ► ▼1 ▼2 ▲2 ▲2 ► ▼2 ►
Change/Year ▲2 ▲2 ▲3 ▲4 ▲5   ▼2 ▼1 ▲3 ► ▼2 ▼1

England dropped a place, from 7th to 8th, in the year's first ranking, as Turkey rose from 9th to 7th.  Both teams were idle during the interval reflected in the January ranking, and so the change in position must have resulted from the discarding of older results and the greater weight given to more recent results.  England's surprising 3-1 friendly loss to Australia on 12 February did not lead to any immediate damage in the year's second ranking later the same month, as they remained in 8th place. Although they did not play during the next ranking period, they fell a spot to 9th in March, overtaken by Mexico.   

But a pair of 2-0 European Championship qualifying victories over Liechtenstein away and Turkey at home pushed England back ahead of both Turkey and Mexico and into 7th place in the April ranking.  They remained there in the May ranking despite remaining idle during the ranking period.  But three 2-1 victories during the next ranking period--in friendlies away to South Africa and home to Serbia and Montenegro and in a home European Championship qualifier against Slovakia--did not prevent them from dropping a rung to eighth in the June ranking as they were overtaken by Turkey, who made a splash in reaching the semi-finals at the Confederations Cup tournament in France.  And although they remained idle, they dropped two spots in the July ranking, overtaken by Mexico, which jumped from 12th to 5th, and the U.S.A., which remained in 9th, both on the strength of their performances at the Gold Cup, the CONCACAF championship. 

England went back up to 8th in the August ranking after the season-opening 3-1 home friendly win against Croatia, as they overtook both the U.S.A. and Germany.  Although it was England's sixth successive victory, they had gained only one rung in the ranking ladder since the streak began, surely a reflection of the vagaries of FIFA's ranking system.  Still, England are four monthly rankings away from remaining within the top 10 teams for the entire calendar year, a feat they have never accomplished since the ranking system was established a decade ago....

 FIFA World Rankings 2003 - Top 30 Countries
Date
Rank		 15 Jan 19 Feb

26 Mar

 23 Apr 21 May 25 Jun 30 Jul 27 Aug 24 Sep 22 Oct 19 Nov 15 Dec
1 Brazil 856 Brazil 852 Brazil 853 Brazil 849 Brazil 843 Brazil 834 Brazil 848 Brazil 846 Brazil 855 Brazil 854 Brazil 852 Brazil 848
2 Fra 787 Fra 784 Esp 780 Esp 785 Fra & Esp 784 Fra 814 Fra 824 Fra 825 Fra 829 Fra 827 Fra 826 Fra 827
3 Esp 780 Esp 783 Fra 778 Fra 782 Esp 762 Esp 755 Esp 748 Esp 767 Esp 777 Esp 785 Esp 798
4 Ger 765 Arg 768 Arg 761 Ger 755 Ger 757 Arg 754 Ned 750 Ned & Mex 746 Arg 750 Arg 747 Arg 750 Ned 752
5 Arg 750 Ger 762 Ger 758 Ned 752 Arg 753 Ned 752 Mex 749 Mex 746 Ned 746 Mex 742 Arg 744
6 Ned 746 Ned 754 Ned 752 Arg 750 Ned 746 Ger 745 Arg 746 Arg 744 England 745 England 745 Ned 740 Cze 743
7 Tur 736 Tur 735 Tur 732 England 742 England 739 Tur 733 Tur  738 Tur 739 Ned 744 Ger 744 Tur 739 Mex 740
8 England 734 England 731 Mex 729 Tur 728 Tur 722 England 727 Ger 736 England 733 Tur 743 Ita, Tur & Mex 742 England 738 England & Tur 738
9 Mex 732 Mex 729 England 725 Mex 724 Mex 720 Usa 717 Usa 731 Usa 731 Cze & Ger 736 Ger 736
10 Usa 723 Usa 721 Usa 723 Usa 719 Usa & Den 715 Cze 712 England 726 Ger 728 Cze 735 Ita 734
11 Por 710 Den & Por 707 Den 704 Den 715 Ita & Mex 711 Cze 711 Ita 721 Usa 731 Cze 739 Ita 733 Usa 732
12 Den 707 Por 700 Por 709 Ita 709 Den & Cmr 709 Cze 712 Ita 726 Usa 731 Usa 732 Ger 729
13 Ita 705 Ita 702 Ita 699 Cze 705 Cze 707 Den 710 Irl & Cmr 710 Cmr 710 Cmr 711 Den 714 Den 715
14 Irl 697 Irl 697 Irl 696 Ita 702 Por 706 Irl 703 Ita 708 Irl & Den 708 Den 707 Cmr 712 Irl & Cmr 712
15 Cze 687 Cze 686 Cze 685 Irl 698 Irl 704 Por 692 Irl 702 Den 707 Irl 705 Irl 706
16 Bel 686 Bel 684 Bel 683 Bel 682 Bel 681 Cmr 691 Por 686 Por 686 Bel 692 Bel 696 Bel 696 Bel 696
17 Cmr 684 Cmr 682 Cmr 678 Cmr 673 Crc 671 Bel 672 Crc 684 Crc 680 Por 687 Por 686 Swe 681 Crc & Por 682
18 Par 679 Par 676 Par 672 Crc 672 Cmr 666 Crc & Swe 663 Bel 670 Bel 672 Swe 684 Swe 681 Por 680
19 *Yug 677 *Scg 674 Kor 668 Par 670 Par 664 Swe 662 Rou 664 Crc 681 Crc 680 Crc 679 Swe 677
20 Kor 669 Kor 668 Scg 667 Swe 662 Swe 660 Par 657 Par 651 Swe 658 Rou 663 Cro 664 Cro & Uru 662 Cro 673
21 Crc 651 Rus 664 Crc 660 Kor 660 Kor 656 Rou 652 Rou 648 Par 649 Par 652 Rou 657 Uru 671
22 Jpn & Rus 650 Crc 650 Rus 654 Scg 659 Scg 650 Col 651 Col 647 Nor 646 Uru 647 Kor & Uru 654 Kor 657 Par & Kor 664
23 Rou 649 Swe 652 Nor 656 Jpn 645 Nor 648 Nor 646 Jpn 642 Cro 646 Par 654
24 Swe 649 Jpn & Nor 648 Rou 650 Rus 648 Nor 643 Jpn & Kor 643 Jpn 639 Col & Uru 640 Jpn 637 Par 647 Pol & Rou 652 Rus 659
25 Nor & Rou 648 Jpn 647 Jpn 647 Rus 641 Cro 638 Nor 635 Jpn 645 Pol 656
26 Swe 646 Nor 646 Cro 641 Cro 640 Cro 640 Uru 633 Cro 636 Gre 633 Gre & Pol 640 Ksa 649 Ksa 655
27 Sen 647 Sen 644 Uru 640 Uru 637 Rou 631 Scg 636 Kor 631 Nga 629 Sen 632 Svn 645 Rou 653
28 Uru 643 Uru 641 Sen 639 Pol & Rou 635 Uru 629 Sen 633 Sen 628 Sen 623 Col & Rus 629 Rus 637 Jpn 643 Irn 649
29 Nga 642 Nga 640 Ecu 630 Pol & Sen 627 Svn 628 Nga 627 Gre, Scg & Kor 621 Svn 636 Rus 638 Jpn 646
30 Rsa 636 Rsa 633 Nga & Rsa 627 Sen 634 Rus 627 Svn 624 Nig 628 Ksa 634 Gre 637 Gre 641
                  
total countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries 204 countries

*Yugoslavia (Yug) became known as Serbia and Montenegro (Scg) between the January and February rankings.

Notes

Brazil were FIFA's "Top Team of the Year".  Bahrain, climbing to 64th place from 105th, were named "Best Mover of the Year."

Further Information

The FIFA website contains the complete world rankings from their inception and a description of the method by which the rankings are calculated.

PY/CG