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Over the past five years the results of Michael O’Neill’s team have
seen them shoot up the European and world football rankings.
The crucial 1-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying success
away to Azerbaijan back in June was significant for
Northern Ireland for a multitude of reasons.
Stuart Dallas’s stoppage-time winner in Baku kept
hopes of a top two finish in Group C alive ahead
of this autumn’s fixtures and also helped the team
achieve their highest-ever placing in FIFA’s World
Rankings – 22nd back in July.
The rankings list, which is produced every month,
saw the boys in green and white move up six
places from 28th in June on the back of that
Azerbaijan result.
It marked the pinnacle of a meteoric rise for the
country over the last five years. Back in September
2012 Northern Ireland slumped to their lowest
ranking of 129 on the back of a 2-0 defeat to
Russia and a 1-1 draw with European minnows
Luxembourg.
The FIFA World Rankings were originally
introduced back in December 1992. The way in
which the system is calculated has changed a
number of times since then, most significantly in
July 2006 when it was announced the rankings
would be based on results from four years of
competition rather than eight years.
The position of each nation in the rankings is based
on points awarded from playing in FIFA-recognised
matches.
From its launch until December 1998 it was a
straightforward method of teams being allocated
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www.irishfa.comTHE RISE AND RISE OF
NORTHERN IRELAND