Top 5 national football teams in 2019

#4 Spain

Spain did not win any title during the year but produced an unbeaten qualifying campaign to make the cut for the European Championships for the seventh consecutive time.

La Furia Roja won six qualifying games on the trot before a pair of 1-1 draws at Norway and Sweden halted their winning run.

Status quo was promptly restored as the three-time Euro winners scored 12 unanswered goals past Malta (7-0) and Romania (5-0) respectively to end the year on a winning note.

#3 Algeria

Algeria celebrate their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations title

Following their maiden triumph in 1990, Algeria lifted their second Africa Cup of Nations title with a solitary goal win over Senegal in the 2019 final at Cairo.

Algeria won all their three group-stage games without conceding a goal - beating Kenya 2-0, Senegal 1-0 and Tanzania 3-0 to qualify for the knockout round. The Les Fennecs then beat Guinea 3-0 in the Round of 16, before a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals took them to the last-four.

Nigeria became the first team to score against Algeria in the semis, but the Super Eagles fell to a 1-2 defeat. In the final, Algeria prevailed by a solitary goal over Senegal to win their first Africa Cup of Nations title in nearly three decades.

In six friendlies during the year, Algeria won four games while drawing 1-1 against Burundi and DR Congo.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Musab Abid