This 2018 year ends successfully for Macedonia. With no changes since the last two rankings, Macedonia will enter 2019 as the 68th best national team in the world.

The inactive period brought only few changes on the FIFA ranking list but none affected Macedonia. The Lynx kept the same points from November and stayed on the 68th place reached in September. It is our best ranking since 2009 and the 65th place.

What is interesting in the December ranking is that Macedonia is 22 places above Israel who in the EURO qualifying draw earlier this month was in a better-ranked pot.

…
62. Slovenia 1369
62. Honduras 1369
64. Mali 1363
65. Ivory Coast 1356
66. Guinea 1354
67. Algeria 1347
68. Macedonia 1343
69. Saudi Arabia 1335
70. El Salvador 1327
71. Panama 1326
72. South Africa 1325
72. Cape Verde 1325
74. Syria 1322
…

Top 10 in the FIFA World Rankings for December 2018:

1. Belgium 1727
2. France 1726
3. Brazil 1676
4. Croatia 1634
5. England 1631
6. Portugal 1614
7. Uruguay 1609
8. Switzerland 1599
9. Spain 1591
10. Denmark 1589

FIFA Rankings for 2020 EURO qualifying Group G (actual ranking in brackets):

1. (20.) Poland 1518
2. (22.) Austria 1509
3. (62.) Slovenia 1369
4. (68.)  Macedonia 1343
5. (90.) Israel 1265
6. (132.) Latvia 1112

FIFA Rankings for the Balkan countries (actual ranking in brackets):

1. (4.) Croatia 1634
2. (24.) Romania 1501
3. (29.) Serbia 1481
4. (34.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 1472
5. (39.) Turkey 1443
6. (43.) Greece 1428
7. (44.) Montenegro 1427
8. (46.) Bulgaria 1425
9. (60.) Albania 1372
10. (62.) Slovenia 1369
11. (68.)  Macedonia 1343
12. (131.) Kosovo 1113

FIFA Rankings for UEFA members (actual ranking in brackets, showing only the mid 21):

26. (42.) Czechia 1435
27. (43.) Greece 1428
28. (44.) Montenegro 1427
29. (46.) Bulgaria 1425
30. (46.) Norway 1425
31. (48.) Russia 1424
32. (51.) Hungary 1412
33. (58.) Finland 1378
34. (60.) Albania 1372
35. (62.) Slovenia 1369
36. (68.)  Macedonia 1343
37. (76). Belarus 1317
38. (86.) Luxembourg 1276
39. (86.) Cyprus 1276
40. (89.) Georgia 1269
41. (90.) Israel 1265
42. (96.) Estonia 1242
43. (98.) Faroe Islands 1238
44. (101.) Armenia 1222
45. (107.) Azerbaijan 1206
46. (120.) Kazakhstan 1159

The next rankings will be published on 7 February 2019.