Football

FIFA World Ranking: the world's most-watched team sport

Football (soccer) is played by over 200 national teams, and the FIFA World Ranking ranks every one of them by results in official matches, with bigger matches and tournaments counting for more.

Origin

Kicking games go back thousands of years, but modern football's rules were written in England in 1863, when the Football Association was founded.

Fun fact

FIFA has more member associations (211) than the United Nations has member states, and the men's World Cup final draws a global TV audience counted in the billions.

Strongest nations

Europe (UEFA) and South America (CONMEBOL) dominate: Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain, England and Germany in the men's game; the USA, Spain, Germany, England and Sweden among the women.

Governing body

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), founded in 1904 and based in Zurich, Switzerland.