World Cup Blog Power Rankings
We are pleased to introduce a new feature to the blog. Each and every Friday from now until the start of the World Cup, we will rank the 32 teams in the tournament. Unlike the rankings provided by FIFA, our rankings are not based on past performance but rather on current form and projected World Cup results. This week’s rankings were determined by a highly distinguished panel that included, well, just me. In the coming weeks we hope to produce polls that reflect the views of our 30+ bloggers. We might also get crazy and do some reader-based rankings. Stay tuned. Feel free to agree or disagree with the initial World Cup Blog Power Rankings. These rankings are likely to change from week to week and fan input can impact our future selections.
1. Brazil – Fans already have booked airline trips for the final.
2. Italy – Playing football on Good Friday, the gods are on their side.
3. Argentina – Half the team is hurt right now. They’re just resting.
4. Spain – We have to rank them high so they can fail to live up to expectations.
5. England – Owen is back and Sol needs a nose job.
6. Portugal – Deco is a new art form.
7. Netherlands – Van Basten thinks his team is too young. We do too.
8. Germany – Lehmann is your starting keeper. Good luck with that.
9. Czech Republic – Nedved spends more time on the ground than a snake.
10. Croatia – Confuse their opponents with those tablecloth kits.
11. France – Barthez or Coupet? Both will see a lot of shots.
12. Sweden – Ljungberg is a gay idol; Zlatan needs to work on his shot.
13. Serbia & Montenegro – You should get to know the Famous Four backline.
14. USA – A draw at home against Jamaica has Group E opponents shaking in their boots.
15. Ukraine- Keeper Oleksander Shovkovsky back from injury.
16. Mexico – Fans take to the streets to protest Blanco’s exclusion.
17. Paraguay – Roque Santa Cruz working his way back to fitness.
18. Switzerland – Young team could tank or surprise.
19. Poland – We’ll know a lot more after the May 14 Faroe Islands match.
20. Japan - Shunsuke Nakamura tearing it up in Scotland.
21. Tunisia – Defender Radhi Jaidi is a player to watch.
22. Iran - Mehdi Mahdavikia embroiled in bigamy scandal.
23. Cote d’Ivoire – Salomon Kalou should team with his brother Bonaventure.
24. South Korea – Losing Lee Dong-Gook is a big blow for the Red Devils.
25. Ecuador - Captain Ivan “Bam Bam” Hurtado dinged up but should recover.
26. Australia – Hiddink has one foot in Oz and one foot in Russia.
27. Trinidad & Tobago – Early announcement of squad leaves some confused.
28. Ghana – Black Stars’ World Cup preparations are a mess.
29. Costa Rica – Wanchope says they have no shot at winning. We happen to agree.
30. Angola – Turning to Jose Mourinho for help.
31. Togo – Coach Otto Pfister will have his hands full with striker Emmanuel Adebayor.
32. Saudi Arabia – Coach Paqueta on the hot seat, which is very hot in the desert.
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Comments
By Luis | April 14th, 2006 at 12:14 pm 
Not a bad list at all. I just don’t agree with Spain at #4. Maybe at 8 above Germany.
Posted from 
United States
By Trent | April 14th, 2006 at 12:52 pm I don’t think you gave enough weight to Team Scent in these rankings. I factored in DRIBBLING and my list was 1. Ecuador, 2.-32. Rest of Field.
Actually, those look pretty good. There are probably 9 or 10 teams that can win this thing.
Posted from United States
By Lyle | April 14th, 2006 at 12:59 pm Serbia and Montenegro should be in first.
Posted from United States
By soze | April 14th, 2006 at 12:59 pm …..From the rear.
By Luis Carlos | April 14th, 2006 at 1:20 pm First of all Bob. Nice Idea.
I won’t talk about Mexico, wouldn’t make it fair, maybe, if you do the polls with us blogers, we shouldn’t talk about our team.
Anyway:
Italy, no way 2nd. Spain, no way in the first 16, the USA a little bit lower as Paraguay.
And Ivory Coast within the first 16, even if they wont make it to the wnd round, because of their group.
Anyway, nice idea, good luck!
LC
Posted from 
Mexico
By Mike | April 14th, 2006 at 1:24 pm Spain and Portugal…I don’t know about those placements. Deco and Ronaldo aside…they don’t have the quality through the rest of the side. Perhaps the Netherlands should be higher because no one fancies them and that can only help an inexperienced team.
Posted from United States
By Pedro P | April 14th, 2006 at 1:45 pm #1 I don’t know why you (Mike) say nobody likes the dutch (football team). I do.
#2 I won’t comment the placing of any team - I think it doesn’t make sense. One specific team will perform in a much different way, only by changing the adversary. How are you gonna rate that???
#3.1 R Carvalho is arguably one of the best CD’s currently;
#3.2 you’ll hardly find a more versatile midfielder - as good in defending as in attacking - as Maniche.
#3.3 So it doesn’t come down to Ronaldo and Deco - before Deco we had a less versatile but even more brilliant #10 (Rui Costa) already…
#4 The dutch team’s best winger is around the same level as our 3rd winger (Simao)… 
Posted from 
Netherlands
By The Greatest Pub Team in the World - FIFA World Cup 2006 - World Cup 2006 Blog | April 14th, 2006 at 1:55 pm [...] Select a team Add to: MyYahoo, Google, Bloglines, GERMANY 2006 Home » World Cup 2006, General Banter « World Cup Blog Power Rankings | Home | [...]
Posted from United States
By Mike | April 14th, 2006 at 2:25 pm Last season when Robben played for Chelsea they averaged just under 4 goals a game. Without him they scored rougly 1 and a half per game. That’s what I call influential.
Posted from United States
By LUIS GONAVLES | April 14th, 2006 at 3:48 pm CROATIA SHOULD BE #1
beat and tied 2 top 5 S A teams
CROATIA #1
Posted from 
Canada
By Milan | April 14th, 2006 at 8:53 pm Crotaia should be up there but whats with the table cloth joke, getting a bit old and i think the kit looks pritty good.
Posted from 
Australia
By Euler | April 15th, 2006 at 1:09 am Oh Bob!!! Please remove Brazil from first place asap!!! I can’t stand it anymore! Go read what the Argentinean blog has to say about us!!! Try to find Italian Massimo’s raged opinion about Brazil and reconsider that! Remember Bobby and Amy!
I hope to see Brazil far away from the top with a little help from my friends at WCB. I promise I will keep my self from responding. Feel free to bash our Selection!!!
The proper response will come from the field anyway…
By Pedro P | April 15th, 2006 at 10:44 am Hey Mike, I was just “stinging” you a bit. Didn’t like you reducing POR to Deco and C Ronaldo. 
You might not agree, but for me Figo - although older - still delivers more and better than Robben. Doesn’t mean Robben’s not good - he IS very good. No questions there.
Posted from Netherlands
By Marty | April 18th, 2006 at 12:22 pm Remember the names Klasnic and Prso. You’ll hear alot about them come June.
Posted from United States
By Your Monthly Laugh: The Latest FIFA Rankings - FIFA World Cup 2006 - World Cup 2006 Blog | April 19th, 2006 at 11:40 am [...] It is our favorite time of the month with FIFA providing the comic relief with its latest rankings. As was expected, there has been no change at the top or the bottom. Brazil is firmly planted in the number one spot and despite our best efforts American Samoa remains the lowest ranked team in the universe. Everyone knows these rankings are nonsense (USA is #4 now!) and we are determined to do something about it. That’s why we have the World Cup Blog Power Rankings. Your rankings – the World Cup teams from 1 to 32 – are due to bob [at] worldcupblog.org by the end of the day Thursday. We will reveal the newest Power Rankings on Friday. Until then, have a chuckle when you look at what FIFA has to say about the World Cup teams. [...]
Posted from United States
By michel | June 4th, 2006 at 1:52 pm ouch. low blow towards Lehmann…he kept arsenal on a clean-sheet marathon this year…he could be Germany’s saving grace.
don’t understand why t&t is not the 31st or even last ranked squad. ranked higher then ghana. t&t is full of dudes who play for like shrewsbury town f.c. they’re garbage. ghana is on fire.
By Hugo Costa | March 7th, 2007 at 11:27 am ye portugal has a amazing team in middle field and defence problably 1 of the best middle fielders in world i mean cristiano ronaldo deco simao maniche they are all amazing players plus we got ricardo carvalho and fernando meira ricardo rocha they are all amazing players that a lot of people dont even know thats wats good about portugal most people dont know the players but they are all around some of the best
Posted from Canada
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