The 'Chariots of Fire' have failed to rebound in the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) rankings. Their recent poor performances have pushed them out of the top 10 and they are currently ranked 16th. The team is still reeling after two losses to Japan.

Germany was ranked 16th in the men's soccer world rankings released by FIFA on Nov. 30 (KST). They lost 12.27 points. With 1641.22 points, it failed to improve its ranking. It's a "historic" low ranking. At one point, it was as low as 22nd, but it was always in the top 10. It even reached #1 quite a few times. For reference, the country with the lowest FIFA ranking of all time is Italy at #21. Germany and Brazil are next at #22.

The reason for the drop in the FIFA rankings is simple. It's because of their recent poor A-match performance. The nightmare started at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In their first match of the group stage (Group E), they suffered a shock 1-2 loss to Japan. They followed that up with a 1-1 draw against Spain and a 4-2 win over Costa Rica, only to be eliminated. They suffered the humiliation of failing to advance to the knockout rounds for the second consecutive World Cup.

After the World Cup in Qatar, they regrouped and looked to bounce back, beating Peru 2-0 in an exhibition match in March but faltering in a 2-3 loss to Belgium. In June, they were held to a 3-3 draw by Ukraine and fell to 0-1 and 0-2 defeats by Poland and Colombia. When they faced Japan again in September, they sank completely, losing 1-4 at home. 토토사이트 

Interim coach Rudi Ruhle took the reins in a hurry to turn things around, beating France 2-1 in a September test, and vowed a resurgence with "young master" Julian Nagelsmann at the helm. In October, they beat the United States 3-1 in a friendly. They followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Mexico. After showing signs of life, they sank again in November. A 2-3 reverse against Turkiye was followed by an embarrassing 0-2 loss to Austria. The result was a dark tunnel, with FIFA ranking points forgotten.

Germany is the host of Euro 2024. They earned automatic qualification, unlike some of the other nations that had a tougher qualifying campaign. They had the opportunity to play a number of friendly matches against teams with time to spare, but they were outclassed by teams from other continents. They continued to struggle against teams they considered to be below them. In particular, they were still reeling from their two losses to Japan.

Of course, the FIFA rankings are only a guide. But it's also one of the more objective report cards that reflects recent performances. If Germany can't get out of this funk, they could be in for another embarrassment at Euro 2024, which kicks off next June. The World Cup is at a critical juncture for a team that has been recognized as one of world soccer's leading honor societies.