December 2011: FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings

Canada’s points and ranking remained unchanged in the final 2011 edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking published on 21 December. With many countries inactive since the last ranking on 23 November, Canada remains eighth within CONCACAF and 72nd overall on the global monthly ranking.

The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking looks at each country’s international results from the last four years. The ranking takes into account the result, the importance of the match, the strength of the opponent, the regional strength, the time period, and the number of matches per year. Matches played more than a year ago are valued 50% of matches played in the last year; matches played more than two years ago are valued at 30% while matches played more than three years ago are valued at 20%.

Canada’s last match was a 4:0 victory over St. Kitts and Nevis in a FIFA World Cup Qualifiers match at BMO Field in Toronto on 15 November. Four days earlier, Canada eliminated St. Kitts and Nevis in a 0:0 away draw to clinch first place and advance to CONCACAF Round 3 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Qualifiers.

The most notable change within CONCACAF was the small jump by Panama and Honduras ahead of Jamaica. While Mexico and USA remained comfortably in first and second on the continental table, Panama and Honduras are now third and fourth while Jamaica is fifth. Rounding out the CONCACAF top-10 are Costa Rica, El Salvador, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti.

Over the past month, 57 international “A” matches were played around the world, of which six were FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and 51 were friendly matches.