June-July 2021 Football World Ranking update

A summer very busy for the international football has just passed. Continental finals were helded in three confederations. Started in June, the Uefa European Championships and the Conmebol Copa America (both postponed by one year because of the covid-19 pandemic) redefined rankings of the Uefa and Comnebol teams. In July the major tournament in the North, central America and caribbean, the Concacaf Gold Cup, was helded in the USA. Furthermore, many important games for the World Cup 2022 qualifications were played in the Conmebol, AFC and Concacaf zone. A total of 206 international games were included in the calculation of the new update, with 128 national teams active in the last timeframe.
The winner of the European Championships, Italy, is the one that had the best progress in points since the update published in April, 2021: +178,581. With a total rating of 3194,493, Italy is now second behind the new leader Belgium. Belgium has improved only 6,231 points but tooks advantage of the decrease of the brazilians. The european team with the bigger improve in positions, between those involved the European Chamonship, is the Czech Republic (+11, now 21th). Despite not being involved in competitive games, a big improve also for the Estonia national team. After winning the Baltic Cup tournament and after an away win against the finnish, in a friendly match, the estonians gained 13 positions and 46,261 points (now they are on positions 107).
Let’s take a look now at South America. The winner of the Copa America Argentina improve from the 8th to the 4th place in the FWR ranking. Not winning the tournament, despite playing all the games at home, cost the leadership to Brazil, that slide until the 3rd place. Improvements for both the semifinalists Colombia and Peru now respectively on 10th and 19th position.
In the Concacaf confederation, a very big improvement was done by Canada, that scored good points in both the WC qualifiers and the Gold Cup (reaching the semifinal). Canada has gained 19 positions (now on 27th) and 160,934 points. The USA winners of the Gold Cup are now returned in the top 20 of the ranking, in 13th position, while the runner-up Mexico is now in 11th place. The national team of Qatar, invited as guest in this tournament, reached the semifinal and it is now on the 37th position in the overall ranking, number 4 in the AFC confederation. Between the Concacaf nations, good improvements for El Salvador (+17, 75th place), Trinidad and Tobago (+15, 103th place) and Puerto Rico (+12, 173th place).
After a lot of games in the AFC section of the WC qualifiers, notable progress for IR Iran (+11, 20th place), Saudi Arabia (+10, 50th place), United Arab Emirates (+18, 70th place), Palestine (+23, 99th place), Tajikistan (+15, 142th place).
To conclude, the postponed match between Sierra Leone and Benin, valid for the Afcon qualifiers, was helded in June with a 1:0 result in favor of Sierra Leone that had qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Sierra Leone improved 6 places until the 120th position. A notable progress was also done by Eswatini, after a good performance in the COSAFA Cup, improving from the position 172 to 160.