USA up big, new No. 1 in April FIFA World Rankings

There’s a new No. 1 rated country in the world according to the latest FIFA World Rankings. Argentina, who have been atop the rankings for exactly a year, have been overtaken by their most bitter rival, Brazil. That’s right, the Samba Boys are back on top of the world according to FIFA. They are completely embarrassing the CONMEBOL region in World Cup qualifying by routing their competition on the way to becoming the first country to qualify for the 2018 World Cup last month.

The United States men’s national team saw a very positive increase of seven spots. They leaped from 30th position all the way to 23rd and now sit just three spots behind Costa Rica for the second spot in CONCACAF and just seven spots behind Mexico who sit in 16th.

As with always, these rankings are basically meaningless, but rankings are a part of human nature. Everyone wants to know where they stand even if it’s trivial. I know I’m outside the Top 100 of your favorite USMNT writers and that’s fine, but I strive to crack that list, just like the U.S. would feel a sense of accomplishment if they can overtake Mexico and/or Costa Rica as the top teams in the region. See the full rankings here.