World Football Elo Ratings leaders
The following is the list of nations that would have held the number one position on the World Football Elo Ratings since the first international match in 1872. The rankings were first calculated in 1997.
Progressive Leaders Chart
Start Date |
Nation |
# of days |
November 30, 1872 |
England |
1190 |
March 4, 1876 |
Scotland |
5845 |
March 5, 1892 |
England |
21 |
March 26, 1892 |
Scotland |
7 |
April 2, 1892 |
England |
4349 |
February 29, 1904 |
Scotland |
12 |
March 12, 1904 |
England |
2563 |
March 19, 1911 |
Netherlands |
371 |
March 24, 1912 |
England |
97 |
June 29, 1912 |
Netherlands |
3 |
July 2, 1912 |
Denmark |
2979 |
August 28, 1920 |
Uruguay |
1 |
August 29, 1920 |
Netherlands |
3 |
September 1, 1920 |
Uruguay |
5 |
September 6, 1920 |
Spain |
12 |
September 18, 1920 |
Uruguay |
386 |
October 9, 1921 |
Spain |
959 |
May 25, 1924 |
Czechoslovakia |
1 |
May 26, 1924 |
Uruguay |
446 |
August 15, 1925 |
Spain |
4 |
August 19, 1925 |
Uruguay |
39 |
September 27, 1925 |
Spain |
384 |
October 16, 1926 |
Argentina |
8 |
October 24, 1926 |
Uruguay |
583 |
May 29, 1928 |
Argentina |
1 |
May 30, 1928 |
Uruguay |
382 |
June 16, 1929 |
Argentina |
96 |
September 20, 1929 |
Uruguay |
42 |
November 1, 1929 |
Argentina |
610 |
July 4, 1931 |
Uruguay |
5 |
July 9, 1931 |
Argentina |
1053 |
May 27, 1934 |
Austria |
10 |
June 6, 1934 |
Italy |
2090 |
February 25, 1940 |
Argentina |
144 |
July 18, 1940 |
Italy |
209 |
February 12, 1941 |
Argentina |
417 |
April 5, 1942 |
Italy |
50 |
May 25, 1942 |
Argentina |
229 |
January 9, 1943 |
Italy |
85 |
April 4, 1943 |
Argentina |
98 |
July 11, 1943 |
Italy |
178 |
January 5, 1944 |
Argentina |
3 |
January 8, 1944 |
Italy |
367 |
January 9, 1945 |
Argentina |
33 |
February 11, 1945 |
Italy |
4 |
February 15, 1945 |
Argentina |
142 |
July 7, 1945 |
Italy |
127 |
November 11, 1945 |
Argentina |
39 |
December 20, 1945 |
Italy |
735 |
December 25, 1947 |
Argentina |
1907 |
March 15, 1953 |
Brazil |
4 |
March 19, 1953 |
Argentina |
251 |
November 25, 1953 |
Hungary |
949 |
July 1, 1956 |
Argentina |
77 |
September 16, 1956 |
Hungary |
193 |
March 28, 1957 |
Argentina |
9 |
April 6, 1957 |
Hungary |
67 |
June 12, 1957 |
Argentina |
116 |
October 6, 1957 |
Hungary |
77 |
December 22, 1957 |
Argentina |
105 |
April 6, 1958 |
Hungary |
67 |
June 12, 1958 |
Brazil |
637 |
March 10, 1960 |
Argentina |
50 |
April 29, 1960 |
Brazil |
27 |
May 26, 1960 |
Argentina |
3 |
May 29, 1960 |
Brazil |
1036 |
March 31, 1963 |
Soviet Union |
391 |
April 25, 1964 |
Hungary |
35 |
May 30, 1964 |
Brazil |
4 |
June 3, 1964 |
Argentina |
389 |
June 27, 1965 |
Hungary |
7 |
July 4, 1965 |
Brazil |
56 |
August 29, 1965 |
Argentina |
231 |
April 17, 1966 |
Brazil |
3 |
April 20, 1966 |
Argentina |
52 |
June 11, 1966 |
Brazil |
6 |
June 17, 1966 |
Argentina |
5 |
June 22, 1966 |
Brazil |
23 |
July 15, 1966 |
Argentina |
1 |
July 16, 1966 |
Soviet Union |
9 |
July 25, 1966 |
West Germany |
5 |
July 30, 1966 |
England |
1408 |
June 7, 1970 |
Brazil |
752 |
June 28, 1972 |
West Germany |
11 |
July 9, 1972 |
Brazil |
129 |
November 15, 1972 |
West Germany |
91 |
February 14, 1973 |
Brazil |
484 |
June 13, 1974 |
West Germany |
9 |
June 22, 1974 |
Brazil |
11 |
July 3, 1974 |
West Germany |
465 |
October 11, 1975 |
Poland |
4 |
October 15, 1975 |
West Germany |
960 |
June 1, 1978 |
Netherlands |
6 |
June 7, 1978 |
West Germany |
3 |
June 10, 1978 |
Netherlands |
1 |
June 11, 1978 |
West Germany |
3 |
June 14, 1978 |
Brazil |
504 |
October 31, 1979 |
West Germany |
434 |
January 7, 1981 |
Brazil |
25 |
February 1, 1981 |
West Germany |
21 |
February 22, 1981 |
Brazil |
66 |
April 29, 1981 |
West Germany |
13 |
May 12, 1981 |
Brazil |
155 |
October 14, 1981 |
West Germany |
243 |
June 14, 1982 |
Brazil |
486 |
October 13, 1983 |
Soviet Union |
335 |
September 12, 1984 |
France |
232 |
May 2, 1985 |
Soviet Union |
34 |
June 5, 1985 |
West Germany |
7 |
June 12, 1985 |
France |
91 |
September 11, 1985 |
Soviet Union |
161 |
February 19, 1986 |
France |
103 |
June 2, 1986 |
Soviet Union |
7 |
June 9, 1986 |
France |
16 |
June 25, 1986 |
Brazil |
4 |
June 29, 1986 |
Argentina |
346 |
June 10, 1987 |
Brazil |
23 |
July 3, 1987 |
England |
57 |
August 29, 1987 |
Soviet Union |
74 |
November 11, 1987 |
England |
214 |
June 12, 1988 |
Soviet Union |
5 |
June 17, 1988 |
West Germany |
1 |
June 18, 1988 |
Soviet Union |
7 |
June 25, 1988 |
Netherlands |
715 |
June 10, 1990 |
West Germany |
9 |
June 19, 1990 |
Brazil |
5 |
June 24, 1990 |
West Germany |
129 |
October 31, 1990 |
Germany |
604 |
June 26, 1992 |
Netherlands |
75 |
September 9, 1992 |
Brazil |
37 |
October 16, 1992 |
Argentina |
247 |
June 20, 1993 |
Germany |
49 |
August 8, 1993 |
Argentina |
7 |
August 15, 1993 |
Germany |
313 |
June 24, 1994 |
Brazil |
3 |
June 27, 1994 |
Germany |
12 |
July 9, 1994 |
Brazil |
708 |
June 16, 1996 |
Germany |
3 |
June 19, 1996 |
Brazil |
4 |
June 23, 1996 |
Germany |
311 |
April 30, 1997 |
Brazil |
30 |
May 30, 1997 |
Germany |
11 |
June 10, 1997 |
Brazil |
397 |
July 12, 1998 |
France |
328 |
June 5, 1999 |
Brazil |
389 |
June 28, 2000 |
France |
708 |
June 6, 2002 |
Argentina |
1 |
June 7, 2002 |
France |
4 |
June 11, 2002 |
Netherlands |
1 |
June 12, 2002 |
Spain |
4 |
June 16, 2002 |
Netherlands |
5 |
June 21, 2002 |
Brazil |
351 |
June 7, 2003 |
Netherlands |
4 |
June 11, 2003 |
Brazil |
8 |
June 19, 2003 |
Netherlands |
83 |
September 10, 2003 |
France |
291 |
June 27, 2004 |
Czech Republic |
4 |
July 1, 2004 |
France |
10 |
July 11, 2004 |
Brazil |
3 |
July 14, 2004 |
France |
35 |
August 18, 2004 |
Argentina |
290 |
June 4, 2005 |
Czech Republic |
4 |
June 8, 2005 |
Argentina |
21 |
June 29, 2005 |
Brazil |
102 |
October 9, 2005 |
Netherlands |
3 |
October 12, 2005 |
Brazil |
265 |
July 4, 2006 |
Italy |
43 |
August 16, 2006 |
France |
52 |
October 7, 2006 |
Brazil |
122 |
February 6, 2007 |
France |
1 |
February 7, 2007 |
Brazil |
140 |
June 27, 2007 |
France |
14 |
July 11, 2007 |
Argentina |
4 |
July 15, 2007 |
Brazil |
334 |
June 13, 2008 |
Netherlands / Brazil |
2 |
June 15, 2008 |
Netherlands |
6 |
June 21, 2008 |
Spain |
368 |
June 24, 2009 |
Brazil |
373 |
July 2, 2010 |
Netherlands |
1 |
July 3, 2010 |
Netherlands / Spain |
3 |
July 6, 2010 |
Netherlands |
1 |
July 7, 2010 |
Spain |
1 |
Ranking by Days as Leader
- ^ Includes the record of West Germany
- ^ Does not include current period as rankings leader
- ^ Includes the record of USSR
- ^ Includes the record of Czechoslovakia
Ranking by Days as Leader (rolling - last 50 years)
As of January 1, 2011
- ^ Includes the record of West Germany
- ^ Includes the record of USSR
- ^ Includes current period as ranking leader
- ^ Includes the record of Czechoslovakia
Other Statistics
- Longest single reign at the top: 5845 days ( Scotland, 4 March 1876 - 5 March 1892)
- Shortest single reign at the top: 1 day ( Uruguay, 28 August 1920; Czechoslovakia, 25 May 1924; Argentina, 29 May 1928, 15 July 1966, 6 June 2002; Netherlands, 10 June 1978, 11 June 2002, 2 July 2010, 6 July 2010; West Germany, 17 June 1988; France, 6 February 2007)
- Most separate occasions as leader: 37 Brazil
- Fewest separate occasions as leader: 1 Poland, Denmark, Austria
- Highest Elo rating ever: 2166 Hungary, 30 June 1954
- Only nation to get lead while in absence of major event (WC): Netherlands twice in 2002, as Argentina, France first and then Spain got successively eliminated, and until Brazil eliminated England