Football Internationals Previews and Tips
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International football is played annually across six continents. All of the nations fall under FIFA and under the respective continental bodies. The biggest international football competition is the FIFA World Cup (played every four years).
There are a number of other competitions such as the UEFA European Championship, African Cup of Nations, Copa America, and the AFC Asian Cup.
Furthermore, friendly internationals are played on a regular basis. This tends to take place prior to major tournaments as teams look to get their players match-fit and tactically organised before the tournament kicks off.
International Football Tips
Football internationals are played between two different countries in many tournaments across the globe. The FIFA World Cup remains the ultimate prize for all playing nations while continental honours are a close second.
Domestic leagues and cups take up much of the football calendar so international sides often get together to play what is known as a friendly. These games are mostly meaningless although they do impact the official FIFA World Rankings.
Mostly these games are to have a look at new players, sorting the team out tactically before a major tournament and testing combinations. Europe established the UEFA Nations League in 2018 in order to minimise the meaningless friendly matches and rather give them some context.
FIFA World Rankings (at 10 June 2021)
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | 1783.38 |
| 2 | France | 1757.3 |
| 3 | Brazil | 1742.65 |
| 4 | England | 1686.78 |
| 5 | Portugal | 1666.12 |
| 6 | Spain | 1648.13 |
| 7 | Italy | 1642.06 |
| 8 | Argentina | 1641.95 |
| 9 | Uruguay | 1639.08 |
| 10 | Denmark | 1631.55 |
| 11 | Mexico | 1629.56 |
| 12 | Germany | 1609.12 |
| 13 | Switzerland | 1606.21 |
| 14 | Croatia | 1605.75 |
| 15 | Colombia | 1600.66 |
| 16 | Netherlands | 1598.04 |
| 17 | Wales | 1570.36 |
| 18 | Sweden | 1569.81 |
| 19 | Chile | 1569.52 |
| 20 | United States | 1555.42 |
