How to use it
- Type the points of both teams from the ranking that was published before the match.
- Choose the result for your team and the type of match.
- Tick Decided by a penalty shoot-out only when the match ended level and the shoot-out decided it.
- Read the Points after the match and open Working to see each step.
How the points are calculated
FIFA's SUM method adds or subtracts points after each match. The points a team gains depend on its result, on how strong the opponent is and on how important the match is. A win over a stronger team gains more than a win over a weaker one.
The expected result We is found from the difference in points between the two teams, so the ranking expects the stronger team to take most of the points. The points change is the importance times the gap between the actual result and the expected result.
P = Pbefore + I × (W − We)
We = 1 / (10^(−dr/600) + 1)
dr = Pbefore of your team − Pbefore of the opponent
P points after the match
I importance of the match
W 1 win, 0.5 draw, 0 loss
We expected resultSpecial cases and what the calculator does not cover
- A match decided by a penalty shoot-out counts as a half win for the winner (W = 0.75) and as a half loss for the loser (W = 0.5).
- In a knock-out round of a final tournament a team does not lose points: when W − We is below zero the points stay the same.
- The FIFA document used here has no home-advantage term and no goal-difference factor, so the calculator uses neither.
- FIFA may publish a new procedure. The calculator follows the revision document linked below, not the live ranking.
Worked example: a qualifier win against a higher-ranked team
Your team has 1,300 points, the opponent 1,500. The difference is dr = −200, so the expected result is We = 1 / (10^(200/600) + 1) = 0.317 (31.7 %).
Your team wins a World Cup qualifier (I = 25), so W = 1 and the change is 25 × (1 − 0.317) = 17.07. Your team has 1,317.07 points afterwards, and the opponent falls by the same amount to 1,482.93.
| Before | Change | After | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your team | 1,300.00 | +17.07 | 1,317.07 |
| Opponent | 1,500.00 | −17.07 | 1,482.93 |
Frequently asked questions
Where do the importance values come from?
They are the values I of FIFA's SUM revision document, which lists 5 for friendlies outside the calendar, 10 inside it, 25 for qualifiers and up to 60 for World Cup matches from the quarter-finals.
Why does a win over a stronger team gain more points?
The expected result is lower for the stronger team's opponent, so the gap between the result and the expectation is bigger. A surprise win therefore gains more points than an expected one.
Does this give the official ranking after a match?
No. It shows the change for one match from the formula. The official ranking is published by FIFA and uses the current procedure, which may differ from the revision document used here.
What happens when a team loses a knock-out match?
In a knock-out round of a final tournament the points of a team cannot fall, so the change is zero when its result is below expectation. Tick the knock-out box to apply this rule.
Why are my team's points different from the ranking?
The points shown are those of the ranking published before the match. Use the same ranking edition for both teams, or the difference in points will be wrong.
Sources
Figures and text last checked on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.