Germany's Thomas Mueller reacts after his team lost 0-1 against Mexico in their opening FIFA World Cup 2018 game.
Parity has come to the World Cup. Five of the top six nations in the FIFA rankings have played, and none has won. Only two of the top dozen teams have victories.
Top-ranked Germany lost to No. 15 Mexico, second-ranked Brazil tied No. 6 Switzerland, No. 4 Portugal drew 10th-ranked Spain, and No. 5 Argentina tied 22nd-ranked Iceland.
Among other teams in the top 12, only No. 7 France (over No. 36 Australia) and co-No. 12 Denmark (against No. 11 Peru) have victories.
No. 3 Belgium, No. 8 Poland and co-No. 12 England haven't played, and No. 9 Chile failed to qualify.
Parity has been on the rise throughout soccer, with Iceland and Panama reaching the World Cup for the first time. Italy, the Netherlands and the United States were among the nations that failed to qualify for the 32-nation field.
The World Cup is scheduled to expand to 48 nations for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
