How close the FIFA semi-finals will be?
An analysis of the FIFA semi-finalists—France, Spain, Argentina, and England—uses Elo ratings to compare their performance and strengths. While rankings remain stable, the teams show varying levels of offensive and defensive efficiency heading into the final matches.
Why it matters
Statistical analysis provides deeper insight into team performance beyond simple tournament outcomes, appealing to sports analytics enthusiasts.
With just a few hours left for the kick off of the FIFA semi-finals, the four teams who are going to fight it out — France, Spain, Argentina and England — have all justified their billing as the top four teams in both the Elo ratings and FIFA rankings before the tournament commenced.
Their rankings have not changed since the tournament began, but the route they have taken to reach where they are now has been markedly different, with the differences in their strengths becoming even thinner.
The Elo system, similar to the method used in chess, rates teams by looking at their relative performance against other teams. It is useful as a standardised rating and a better tool for analysis than the FIFA rankings.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in