Slovakia produced the first upset of the UEFA Euro 2024 by beating Belgium in their debut. Only seven minutes into the game, Ivan Schranz broke the deadlock and that proved the difference in Frankfurt.
The result shocked the soccer community since the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku were on the field. But it also made noise due to the huge gap between these nations in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking.
According to the latest update — April 4, 2024 — Belgium rank third in the world, while Slovakia barely make the top 50 as they currently sit 48th in the ranking. There are 45 teams separating these nations, yet the lower ranked side emerged victorious this time.
Slovakia, in fact, are among the lowest ranked nations in the FIFA World Ranking among the Euro 2024 participant teams. Only Slovenia (57), Albania (66), and Georgia (75) have a lower ranking.
Ivan Schranz of Slovakia (obscured) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Belgium and Slovakia at Frankfurt Arena on June 17, 2024 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
The FIFA World Ranking of all Euro 2024 teams
While Belgium are on the podium in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking with 1,795.23 points; France are the highest-ranked team among the Euro 2024 participants as they sit second behind Argentina with 1,840.59 points.
see also
Complete Euro 2024 Schedule: Excel, PDF, and Printable Downloads Available
- France – 2
- Belgium – 3
- England – 4
- Portugal – 6
- Netherlands – 7
- Spain – 8
- Italy – 9
- Croatia – 10
- Germany – 16
- Switzerland – 19
- Denmark – 21
- Ukraine – 22
- Austria – 25
- Hungary – 26
- Poland – 28
- Serbia – 33
- Czechia – 36
- Scotland – 39
- Turkey – 40
- Romania – 46
- Slovakia – 48
- Slovenia – 57
- Albania – 66
- Georgia – 75
