Morocco slips to seventh in FIFA live rankings after Mali draw
The draw against Mali cost the Atlas Lions more than a win. After losing 2.85 points, Morocco now sits seventh in the live FIFA rankings, behind Brazil and Portugal. Fifth place has slipped further out of reach.
Morocco were held to a 1-1 draw on Sunday, October 4, at the Grand Stade de Tanger. Abde Ezzalzouli opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 35th minute, before Gaoussou Diarra equalised in the 77th.
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The equaliser also changed the world rankings. In the updated live rankings table, Morocco has 1 805,34 points. Brazil is ahead with 1 806,51 points, while Portugal occupies fifth place with 1 807,69 points.
The gaps remain tiny: the Atlas Lions are 1,17 points behind Brazil and 2,35 points behind Portugal. Yet the points lost against Mali were enough to put them behind both teams.
Their rivals, meanwhile, gained points. Portugal beat Norway 2-1 and collected 5,28 points. Brazil, which beat India 4-0, added 0,60. Those results, combined with Morocco’s draw, put Portugal in fifth place.
Why a draw costs points
The FIFA rankings take into account the relative strength of opponents. A team ranked significantly higher is expected to win: when it draws, its result falls short of what the formula expects, and its total decreases.
That is what penalises Morocco against Mali. The match’s friendly status limits its weight in the calculation, but does not eliminate the points loss. At this level of the rankings, a few points can be enough to change a team’s position.
The head-to-head battle with Brazil had already highlighted this vulnerability during the World Cup. This time, Morocco also finds itself behind Portugal, which has climbed to fifth in the live rankings table.
On Bladi.net : Morocco Breaks History: Sixth Place FIFA Ranking, Surpasses Portugal
These rankings remain provisional. FIFA says its next official rankings will be published on Wednesday, October 7, after the matches included have been approved.
At the top of the table shown this evening, Spain retains first place ahead of Argentina, France and England. Portugal, Brazil and Morocco follow in that order, separated by fewer than three points.
