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England's FIFA World Rankings
2003

  
 

 

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/Month -1 =0 -1 +2 =0 -1 -2 +2 +2 =0 -2 =0
Change/Year +2 +2 +3 +4 +5 - -2 -1 +3 =0 -2 -1

Notes

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 México.   

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 México 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 semifinals at the Confederations Cup tournament in France.  And although they remained idle, they dropped two spots in the July ranking, overtaken by México, 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.

[Further notes for remainder of year to come.]

FIFA World Rankings 2003 - Top 30 Countries
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 Bra 856 Bra 852 Bra 853 Bra 849 Bra  843 Bra 834 Bra 848 Bra 846 Bra 855 Bra 854 Bra 852 Bra 848
2 Fra 787 Fra 784 Esp 780 Esp 785 =Fra 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 784 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 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 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 Eng 745 Eng 745 Ned 740 Cze 743
7 Tur 736 Tur 735 Tur 732 Eng 742 Eng 739 Tur 733 Tur  738 Tur 739 Ned 744 Ger 744 Tur 739 Mex 740
8 Eng 734 Eng 731 Mex 729 Tur 728 Tur 722 Eng  727 Ger 736 Eng 733 Tur 743 =Ita 742 Eng 738 =Eng 738
9 Mex 732 Mex 729 Eng 725 Mex 724 Mex 720 Usa 717 Usa 731 Usa 731 =Cze 736 =Tur 742 Ger 736 =Tur 738
10 Usa 723 Usa 721 Usa 723 Usa 719 =Usa 715 Cze 712 Eng 726 Ger 728 =Ger 736 =Mex 742 Cze 735 Ita 734
11 Por 710 =Den 707 Den 704 Den 715 =Den 715 =Ita 711 Cze 711 Ita 721 Usa 731 Cze 739 Ita 733 Usa 732
12 Den 707 =Por 707 Por 700 Por 709 Ita 709 =Mex 711 =Den 709 Cze 712 Ita 726 Usa 731 Usa 732 Ger 729
13 Ita 705 Ita 702 Ita 699 Cze 705 Cze 707 Den 710 =Cmr 709 =Irl 710 Cmr 710 Cmr 711 Den 714 Den 715
14 Irl 697 Irl  697 Irl 696 Ita 702 Por 706 Irl 703 Ita 708 =Cmr 710 =Irl 708 Den 707 Cmr 712 =Irl 712
15 Cze 687 Cze 686 Cze 685 Irl 698 Irl 704 Por 692 Irl 702 Den 707 =Den 708 Irl 705 Irl 706 =Cmr 712
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 682
18 Par 679 Par 676 Par 672 Crc 672 Cmr 666 =Crc 663 Bel  670 Bel 672 Swe 684 Swe 681 Por 680 =Por 682
19 *Yug 677 *Scg 674 Kor 668 Par 670 Par 664 =Swe 663 Swe  662 Rom 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 Rom 663 Cro 664 =Cro 662 Cro 673
21 Crc 651 Rus 664 Crc 660 Kor 660 Kor 656 Rom 652 Rom 648 Par 649 Par 652 Rom 657 =Uru 662 Uru 671
22 =Jpn 650 Crc 650 Rus 654 Scg 659 Scg 650 Col 651 Col 647 Nor 646 Uru 647 =Kor 654 Kor 657 =Par 664
23 =Rus 650 Rom 649 Swe 652 Nor 656 Jpn 645 Nor 648 Nor 646 Jpn 642 Cro 646 =Uru 654 Par 654 =Kor 664
24 Swe 649 =Jpn 648 Rom 650 Rus 648 Nor 643 =Jpn 643 Jpn 639 =Col 640 Jpn 637 Par 647 =Pol 652 Rus 659
25 =Nor 648 =Nor 648 Jpn 647 Jpn 647 Rus 641 =Kor 643 Cro 638 =Uru 640 Nor 635 Jpn 645 =Rom 652 Pol 656
26 =Rom 648 Swe 646 Nor 646 Cro 641 Cro 640 Cro 640 Uru 633 Cro 636 Gre 633 =Gre 640 Ksa 649 Ksa 655
27 Sen 647 Sen 644 Uru 640 Uru 637 Rom 631 Scg 636 Kor 631 Nga 629 Sen 632 =Pol 640 Svn 645 Rom 653
28 Uru 643 Uru 641 Sen 639 =Pol 635 Uru 629 Sen 633 Sen 628 Sen 623 =Col 629 Rus 637 Jpn 643 Irn 649
29 Nga 642 Nga 640 Ecu 630 =Rom 635 =Pol 627 Svn 628 Nga 627 =Gre 621 =Rus 629 Svn 636 Rus 638 Jpn 646
30 Rsa 636 Rsa 633 =Nga 627 Sen 634 =Sen 627 Rus 627 Svn 624 =Scg 621 Nig 628 Ksa 634 Gre 637 Gre 641
      =Rsa 627          =Svn 621       -
                =Kor 621       -

*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."

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