During the international match day in March, two international friendly matches finally ushered in after the top 12 of the national football team.
In the two friendly matches against New Zealand, the first national football team drew 0-0 with 10-man New Zealand, and the second national football team lost to New Zealand 1-2. The national football team ranks 80th in the world, and New Zealand ranks 105th in the world. This is the situation when the opponent’s ace player and Premier League striker Chris Wood is absent due to injury. Using a data to compare the gap, Wood’s worth is as high as 10 million euros, which is equal to the worth of a national football team.
The national football team 1-2 New Zealand is a very true illustration of the inflated world ranking of the national football team. Then use another data to compare the gap. There are 17 overseas players in the New Zealand team, distributed in the Premier League, Serie A and other leagues. The national football team has 0 players who can play in the mainstream European leagues.
The inflated world ranking of the national football team was not only slapped in the face by himself, but also by a European preliminaries. In Group H of the European Cup qualifiers, Kazakhstan defeated Denmark 3-2 at home. Kazakhstan ranks 115 in the world and Denmark ranks 18, a difference of 97. Kazakhstan originally belonged to the AFC. They hoped to play high-level games to improve the team, so they joined UEFA. After so many years of training, Kazakhstan’s strength has greatly increased, and the defeat of the world‘s quasi-strong team Denmark is the best proof.
Can the national football team ranked 80 in the world beat Kazakhstan, ranked 115 in the world? The answer is obvious. This European preliminaries game once again proved how inflated the world ranking of the national football team is. If Kazakhstan returns to the AFC, the national football team will have another insurmountable mountain.
In the 2026 World Cup, Asia has 8.5 places. With the current strength of the national football team, do you think there is a chance?In my personal opinion, it’s too difficult. The national football team should give up the idea of scoring international points to improve their rankings, and they should compete more with strong teams in order to truly improve themselves. New Zealand at 105 and Kazakhstan at 115 are the most realistic comparisons, and the national football team at 80 really can’t beat them.Inflated world rankings will harm the national football team, do you agree with this point of view?Return to Sohu to see more
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