Top 5 World Cup playing nations 101st ranked India have leapfrogged

Modified Apr 06, 2017 19:38 IST

Ranking as low as 101st is fairly irrelevant as far as making it to the World Cup is concerned

#5 Cuba

HAVANA, CUBA - OCTOBER 07: Yasmani Lopes Escalante #4 of Cuba reacts after he was shown a yellow card by referee Jafet Perea for his tackle against Bobby Wood #7 (not pictured) of the United States at Estadio Pedro Marrero on October 7, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) — Since that solitary appearance almost 80 years ago, the Cubans have had very little success on the world stage

Cuba are ranked 163^rd, a fair distance beneath India in the latest FIFA rankings. Like North Korea, Cuba also made it to the quarter-finals of a World Cup, although back then, it took only one win to progress into the last eight.

The 1938 World Cup in France was Cuba’s only appearance in the World Cup finals. In a competition featuring only 15 teams, the Lions of the Caribbean beat Romania via a replay in the first round before being soundly swatted aside 8–0 by Sweden in the quarter-final.

Since that solitary appearance almost 80 years ago, the Cubans have had very little success on the world stage as well as the continental stage.

Also Read: Stats: Records broken by India after attaining 101st spot in FIFA rankings