After the start of the qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup, the Ukrainian national football team continues to delight with its rise from the lower reaches of world football. In the FIFA ranking for November 2004, the Ukrainian team jumped 13 positions up and now occupies the 67th place, sharing it with the team of Latvia. For the most part, such a result became possible thanks to a draw with the European champions – the team of Greece and a victory in Lviv over the Georgian national team.
Over the past three years, the Ukrainian national team has managed to make such a leap in the list of the best teams on the planet for the first time. Only the team of Australia, which rose by 15 points, has a better indicator over the past month in the FIFA ranking.
The Turkish national team, with which Oleh Blokhin's charges will play on November 17 in the qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup, is in 12th position. Among the leaders of the ranking, no changes occurred. As before, the list of the world's TOP teams is headed by the Brazilian national team. The French are second and the team of Argentina is in third place.
FIFA Ranking 1. Brazil – 847 points 2. France - 802 3. Argentina - 784 4. Spain - 775 5 . Czech Republic - 768 6. Holland - 758 7. England - 752 8. Mexico - 743 8. Portugal - 743 10. Italy - 736 ...12. Turkey - 721 ...13. Denmark - 715 ...17. Greece - 703 ...33. Russia - 642 ...67. Latvia - 551 ...67. UKRAINE - 551 ...87. Albania - 517 ...107. Georgia - 442 ...147. Kazakhstan – 309.