With the covid-19 pandemic continuing to halt international football matches the Golden Jaguars remain ranked 166th in the world on the official International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) standings, following the release of the updated points system June 11th.
The Golden Jaguars remain on 988 points, unchanged from the April rankings and sit between Papua New Guinea at 165th and Caribbean rival St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 167th. Guyana’s best ever ranking was 86th in 2010 while their worst position was 185th in 2004. Overall, Guyana’s average ranking has been 150th.
European giant Belgium currently occupy the top spot in the men’s section with Anguilla in the cellar position at 210th. The official FIFA men’s rankings were introduced in December 1992. The rankings are effectively a points system with the awarding and reduction of points occurring based on results from FIFA-recognised full international matches and competitive fixtures.
The rankings system has been revamped on several occasions following criticisms of the previous calculation methods which did not effectively illustrate the strengths of the respective national sides.
The current version of ranking system was first used on August 16th 2018 and was adapted from the Elo rating system which is primarily used in chess.
To date, eight teams have held the top spot. They are Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Mexico remains the highest ranked side from the CONCACAF region at 11th while Jamaica continues to lead the Caribbean region as its highest placed nation on 48th.
Guyana was unable to improve on their standings after their CONCACAF Gold Cup Playoffs against Barbados was suspended until further notice due to the ongoing pandemic. Guyana was set to face-off against Barbados in a home-and-away series on March 26th and 31st respectively. The first match was to be held in Barbados with the Golden Jaguars to host the return leg five days later at the National Track and Field Center, Leonora.
Meanwhile, the updated official rankings for the women’s section will be released June 26th.
Guyana are currently ranked 88th following the previous rankings issued on March 27th. The Lady Jaguars highest ever rank was 76th and occurred in March 2017, with their worst ever placement being 92nd in December 2015.
FIFA World Cup champion and CONCACAF giant, the United States of America, currently occupy the top spot. The lowest ranked team is Mauritius at 159th. The FIFA women’s rankings was introduced in 2003, with the first table published July 16th.
