We’re only a few days away from the start of the 22nd FIFA World Cup on November 20, when the host country, Qatar, plays Ecuador. Here at NMA, we’re going all in on fantasy coverage, and the fixture difficulty table is a big part of that.
Let me explain how I put this matrix together. Since 2018, FIFA has used a complicated system to rank its teams (see here for their methodology). Brazil has the most points, with 1841.3, and Ghana has the fewest, with 1393 points and a global ranking of 61. So, the difference between Brazil and Ghana is 448.3 points. To make things easier, I’m going to round that difference to 450.
Based on these FIFA point differences, we made a table that shows how hard each team will be in the Group Stage. Here’s the color code for how the table of difficulties is set up:
The Chart
As you look at the table, you’ll notice that there are only three “green” matches: Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia, Belgium vs. Canada, and Brazil vs. Cameron. That means we should try to get as many players from Argentina, Belgium, and Brazil as we can for those games. On the other hand, we should usually avoid players with “red” or “black” matches. Orange and yellow are in between. The Netherlands, England, Argentina, France, Belgium, and Brazil are the teams that don’t have any red and black games. Our fantasy World Cup teams should be built around players from these teams.
I hope this table helps you decide which players to pick and how to move them around. Visit www.nevermanagealone.com every day for World Cup news and fantasy tips that will help you win your mini-league. `
Do you agree with the tables on how hard things are? If you have a different set of rules, please tell us about them in the comments section.
