The Group of Death

June 14, 2018 marks the day millions of football-crazy people have been waiting for since 2014. On this day Saudi Arabia challenges hosts Russia in the World Cup’s opening game. Both countries are not renowned for being successful football nations, so it comes as no surprise that their Group, Group A, is the one with the weakest teams overall. Group E, or as fans of Costa Rica’s tam would call it: The Group of Death, is the one with the fiercest competition according to ELO ratings.

The ELO-Rating rating system measures the power of a team, taking all the international matches into account for which results could be found. After a match, points will be adjusted according to the outcome of the game, the difference in the ratings and the importance of the game.

Find all our World Cup related charts here.