Dynamic Network 3 -- 0 FIFA Rankings: Replacing an inaccurate, biased, and exploitable ranking system

Abstract

We explore the advantages of representing international football results as a directed network in order to give each team a rank. Two network-based models -Static and Dynamic -are constructed and compared with the FIFA Rankings. The Dynamic Model outperforms the FIFA Rankings in terms of World Cup predictive accuracy, while also removing continental bias and reducing the vulnerability of the FIFA Rankings to exploitation.