England takes surprise new world ranking after victory over Serbia
Express newspaper
11/09/2025 17:57
Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions found their rhythm in the World Cup qualifier in Belgrade.
England’s away match against Serbia on Tuesday was theoretically the toughest challenge in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, but it was in Belgrade that they decided to “take off the brakes.”
Thomas Tuchel took charge of England at the start of the year and the national team’s first few matches under his leadership were unconvincing, despite having a perfect record in Group K and five clean sheets.
The Three Lions won 5-0 against Serbia, moving seven points clear at the top of the group and moving closer to qualifying for the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
They barely got tired in Belgrade, but the previous four qualifiers were tougher, while in a friendly in June at the City Ground, England were convincingly beaten by Senegal.
However, Tuchel’s England has been ranked as the fifth best national team in the world for 2025.
The official FIFA world rankings, which are published every three months, will be updated this month, but there is a possibility that England will suffer a slight drop in position thanks to the annual update of the World Football Elo Ratings.
These unofficial rankings are based on a complex system that calculates the importance of the match, the difficulty of the opponent, and the results – originally developed to rank chess players.
Variables such as goal difference in each match, expected win and previous standings are taken into account, creating a table that “tries to reflect a team’s real strength compared to its rivals after around 30 matches.”
The 2025 Elo update ranks England behind European champions Spain, world champions Argentina, as well as France and Portugal.
With 2019 points, Tuchel’s team stands fifth, ahead of Colombia in sixth place, Brazil in seventh and the Netherlands in eighth.
Tuchel has won all of England’s competitive matches in charge and looks set to secure World Cup qualification with a few games to go.
England results in 2025
They have beaten Andorra twice in Group K, as well as winning against Albania and Latvia in Tuchel’s first two games.
A 5-0 win over Serbia on Tuesday ensured England maintained their 100% clean sheet, but the new manager also tasted defeat in Nottingham, where the team conceded three goals in a friendly defeat to Senegal. /GazetaExpress/