In the rankings: the economy, the audience and the power of the 2026 FIFA World Cup | Today’s news

The Elo rating, published by elorratings.net, measures the strength of a national team based on historical match results. According to this metric, India is ranked 161st globally, followed by Pakistan at 189th and China at 90th. The contrast with their viewing rankings – 7th, 6th and 1st – is striking. Together, these populous countries are among Fifa’s largest spectator markets, yet are largely absent from the sport’s elite competitive level.