The 2014 World Cup was a thrilling soccer tournament in Brazil, with Germany coming out victorious over Argentina, 1-0, in the final game to win their fourth World Cup title, but even now, the ramifications of the tournament are shaping the FIFA standings.
Even though this year's World Cup is over, fans are already looking forward to 2018, when the World Cup heads to Russia. The first FIFA rankings since the tournament ended have been released, and they seem to mirror the results of this year's World Cup closely:
TOP TEAMS IN FIFA RANKINGS
1. Germany
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2. Argentina
3. Netherlands
4. Colombia
5. Belgium
6. Uruguay
7. Brazil
8. Spain
9. Switzerland
10. France
It's no surprise that Germany and Argentina are at the top, considering they both made it to the finals. After that, there are a few surprises and a couple rather disappointing rankings for certain countries.
Biggest Disappointments
England (-10)
England fell 10 spots, the most of any team that competed in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. After being ranked No. 10 coming into the competition, they are now slotted as No. 20 in the world. This year, they failed to win a single game in Group D and being ranked No. 20 might be generous.
Spain (-7)
They had huge expectations as the defending champions, but fell flat on their faces. Spain would allow seven goals including an embarrassing 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the opener. After being ranked No. 1 on the world in the previous ranking, they are now No. 8 in the world.
Portugal (-7)
As expected, Portugal took a big hit with the new rankings. They failed to make it out of Group G with just a single victory and European competition is at an all-time high. Portugal is now ranked No. 11 after being ranked No. 4 before the World Cup began.
Italy (-5)
Not only did Italy not even qualify for the knockout stage for the second consecutive World Cup, but they had to watch Germany tie them in World Cup victories with four. Italy is now ranked No. 14 in the world and many questions remain on the future of this team.
Biggest Advances and Surprises
Netherlands (+12)
How the Netherlands was ranked No. 15 coming into the World Cup was a mystery, especially considering they had just made it to the finals. After another impressive display, they are now ranked No. 3 in the world. This squad made it to the semifinals before losing to Argentina.
Costa Rica (+12)
After making it to the knockout stage for just the second time in their history, Costa Rica turned a lot heads. Costa Rica jumped 12 spots forward and is now ranked No. 16 in the world, still one spot behind the United States, somehow.
France jumped seven spots and Colombia also moved up to the No. 4 ranking. James Rodríguez led all scorers with six goals and led the Colombian National Team to their first ever quarterfinals appearances. Colombia has a bright future ahead of them with 23-year-old Rodríguez leading the way.
Belgium was a surprise. They are now ranked No. 5, six spots higher than before. They defeated the United States in the round of 16 in extra time. It was a good win, but top five in the world may be a little high for this team.
The 2018 World Cup will be played in Russia, for the first time ever. Let's see if these rankings stand that test of time.
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