United States Drops in FIFA Ranking One Year Before the World Cup

United States Will Drop Several Positions in the FIFA Ranking After a Poor Performance in the CONCACAF Nations League

Although Mauricio Pochettino has continuously emphasized that the goal is to reach the 2026 World Cup in the best possible shape, it’s clear that this FIFA window has left United States in a tough spot, after being crowned champion in every edition of the CONCACAF Nations League. However, in this edition, their fourth-place finish in the Final Four will result in a significant drop in their position in the FIFA Ranking.

Mexico Will Overtake United States in the FIFA Ranking

FIFA will officially update its ranking on April 2. However, it's already possible to estimate their position after the matches have concluded in this FIFA window across all confederations. What is clear is that, after losing in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League to Panama and then to Mexico in the third-place match, United States will keep the 1,645.48 points it had going into this FIFA window.

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The problem becomes apparent when observing that all their direct rivals have earned points in this FIFA window. The most notable case is Mexico, which managed to win both of its matches, securing its first CONCACAF Nations League title and gaining 50 points in the FIFA Ranking. Therefore, the team managed by Javier Aguirre will climb in the rankings and move above United States with 1,677.4 points.

United States Will Fall to 19th in the FIFA Ranking

On the other hand, Senegal and Iran also had a strong FIFA window in terms of climbing the rankings. Senegal reached 1,674.75 points after drawing against Sudan and beating Togo in the CAF World Cup qualifiers. Iran, for its part, defeated the United Arab Emirates and qualified for the World Cup after drawing with Uzbekistan. This was enough to bring them to 1,672.81 points.

Therefore, with the numbers in hand, Mexico, Senegal, and Iran will move above United States in the FIFA Ranking after the update on April 2, placing the team managed by Mauricio Pochettino in 19th position. This won’t have any sporting consequences, but it’s a good indicator of the current situation of United States just one year before the World Cup.