Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Drops to Record Low 66th Place in FIFA Ranking

Andrei Nikerichev / Moskva News Agency

The Russian men’s national football team has dropped to a historic low 66th place in FIFA’s latest ranking ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia this summer.

With 11 cities preparing to host the tournament between June and July, a mere 5 percent of recently surveyed Russians said they believed in the country's chances of winning the trophy on home turf.

The Russian men’s squad dropped three spots to 66th in FIFA’s rating released on Thursday, having lost friendlies to both Brazil and France last month.

The latest drop marks a significant downturn for the Russia team, which ranked an average 22nd place since the creation of FIFA's ranking in December 1992.

Within its World Cup group, Russia ranks third behind Uruguay and Egypt at 17th and 46th place respectively, and just above Saudi Arabia in 70th place.

https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/984361688572006400

Germany and Brazil retained their respective first and second spots, while Belgium moved up two notches to rank third in FIFA’s rating.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more