As soon as all 32 places in the unprecedented knockout stage were filled, there was a feeling that Argentina was in a very favorable position in the World Cup.
And the FIFA ranking proves the thesis.
If the 32 teams are separated into four quadrants, showing the path to the semifinals, Argentina —which leads the ranking— is the only one without a top 10 along the way.
To find a team in the top ten, Argentina would have to wait until the semifinals — a phase in which it could supposedly cross paths with Brazil (5th), England (4th) or Mexico (9th).
The 2022 champion is also on the only side with two teams outside the top 50, including Cape Verde, owned by goalkeeper Vozinha, rival in the 32nd phase of Messi’s team and currently 64th in the ranking. The duel is on Friday (3), in Miami, at 7pm.
The worst team on the FIFA list that managed to get a place at this stage is Ghana — another one on Argentina’s path —, in 65th place.
It is not possible to say that it was the draw that favored the lives of Messi and his club. The supposed peaceful life of those led by Lionel (the other) Scaloni is due to the absolute incompetence of their rivals.
In the wonderful world of theory, it was expected that the second place in Group H, the rival of the first in J (Argentina), would be Uruguay (19th in FIFA) — no one gave much weight to Saudi Arabia or Cape Verde, not even in Cape Verde.
But the disastrous campaign of Marcelo Bielsa’s team avoided the South American classic and catapulted star goalkeeper Vozinha’s team ahead of Messi.
The winner of this clash could face the leader of group K in the round of 16, with Portugal (8th) as seed. Have you ever imagined Messi x Cristiano Ronaldo in a World Cup? The Colombians didn’t imagine it, they drew with the Portuguese (playing better) and took first place.
By being behind Colombia, the Portuguese ended up in the quadrant that has Spain (3rd in FIFA) and Belgium (10th). In the 32nd stage, the CR7 team faces another well-placed team, Croatia (13th).
There are also three top 10s in the remaining two quadrants. Holland (6th) and Morocco (7th) faced each other at the beginning of the qualifiers – the Africans won on penalties. France (2nd) is on the same side of the bracket, which also had Germany, 12th on the list — eliminated by 34th, Paraguay, on penalties.
In the quadrant of Brazil (5th), which beat Japan (17th) 2-1, there are also Mexico (9th) and England (4th). The team with the worst ranking alongside Carlo Ancelotti’s team is the Democratic Republic of Congo (41st), England’s rival.
The two best placed on the Argentine side are Colombia (11th) and Switzerland (16th). However, if everyone advances, Messi will only need to face one of the two rivals — they meet first. If they pass through Cape Verde, the current champion will face the survivor of Egypt (26th) x Australia (28th) in the round of 16.
Quadrant 1
- South Africa (54th in FIFA) x Canada (30th)
- Netherlands (7th) x Morocco (6th)
- Germany (12th) x Paraguay (34th)
- France (2nd) x Sweden (37th)
Quadrant 2
- Belgium (10th in FIFA) x Senegal (18th)
- United States (15th) x Bosnia (61st)
- Spain (3rd) x Austria (22nd)
- Portugal (8th) x Croatia (13th)
Quadrant 3
- Brazil (5th in FIFA) x Japan (17th)
- Ivory Coast (23rd) x Norway (31st)
- Mexico (9th) x Ecuador (24th)
- England (4th) x Democratic Republic of Congo (41st)
Quadrant 4
- Switzerland (16th in FIFA) x Algeria (29th)
- Colombia (11th) x Ghana (65th)
- Australia (28th) x Egypt (26th)
- Argentina (1st) x Cape Verde (64th)
