MINSK, 20 October (BelTA) – The Belarusian national football team went 20 points down to place 77th in the October rankings of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), BelTA has learned.
Within the past month Alexander Khatskevich's team had two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, losing 1-4 to the Netherlands in Rotterdam and drawing 1-1 against Luxembourg in Borisov. The Belarusian team currently holds 452 points. In November Belarus will play their next two matches: a friendly against Greece (42nd in the FIFA rankings) in Athens on 9 November and the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria (89th) in Sofia on 13 November. Belarus' other rivals in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier keep the following world positions: France – 7th, the Netherlands - 20th, Sweden - 39th, and Luxemburg - 130th.
The FIFA top ten in October:
1. Argentina – 1.621 points
2. Germany – 1.465
3. Brazil – 1.410
4. Belgium – 1.382
5. Colombia – 1.323
6. Chile – 1.273
7. France – 1.271
8. Portugal – 1.231
9. Uruguay – 1.175
10. Spain – 1.168.
According to the FIFA rankings, Ukraine goes 29th, Uzbekistan is 48th, Russia – 53rd, Azerbaijan – 88th, Kazakhstan – 90th, Lithuania – 98th, Kyrgyzstan – 99th, Turkmenistan – 114th, Latvia – 116th, Estonia – 119th, Georgia – 122nd, Armenia – 125th, Tajikistan – 140th, Moldova – 173rd.
The FIFA October rankings included 211 national football teams. The next FIFA rankings will be published on 24 November.
