Orange rises to eighth place in the FIFA ranking, highest position in seven years | NOW

The Dutch national team rose again on Thursday in the FIFA rankings. Partly due to the successful Nations League start, the Orange squad is in eighth place, the highest ranking since 2015.

Seven years ago, the Orange was still fifth, after which the Netherlands ended up in a free fall in the world ranking. The lowest point was a 36th place in 2017, but since then the Netherlands has been making steady progress. When the list was previously announced, the Netherlands was already tenth.

The Netherlands owes its further advance to the successful Nations League start. The team of national coach Louis van Gaal won last international match against Wales (1-2 and 3-2) and Belgium (1-4) and drew against Poland (2-2).

In September, the Dutch national team will reunite for the last two Nations League matches against Poland (September 22) and Belgium (September 25). In November, Van Gaal’s team will travel to Qatar, where the opening game against Senegal is scheduled for November 21.

France is outside the top three

In contrast to the Orange, France experienced a very disappointing start to the Nations League with two defeats and two draws. Due to the mediocre international match, the reigning world champion has dropped to fourth place in the rankings.

Argentina enters the top three at the expense of France. The Argentines are behind Belgium and Brazil, which have been leading the world rankings since the end of March. It is the first time in almost five years that Brazil and Argentina are on the podium together.

The FIFA rankings are based on the results of the national teams over the past four years. The number of points FIFA awards to a country after a match depends, among other things, on the importance of the duel and the strength of an opponent.