45th? Youch. I'd figure we were a bit higher than that, but I guess (similar to basketball) we get penalised due to the region we are in.

Not surprised our basketball team is ranked much higher though, given what % of the team is mad up of players from the top league in the world. To be fair though the gap between the NBA and all the other leagues is a lot more vast than the #1 and #2 football leagues (whoever they are).

I used to watch a lot of soccer when I lived overseas, and tried really hard to follow the A-League but it's just so BAD.

A-League has improved quite a lot, I don't agree that it is bad in any way, it isn't the worst league out there by any means and more recently it is shaping up as a very decent league.

Interesting comparison, the NBL is trying to sneak up on the heels of the A-League but isn't there yet, although comparisons can be subjective, they are both 'World Games'...

Our ranking in Basketball will likely always be higher because of the opportunities things like college scholarships provide and the raw numbers of juniors who will choose to play basketball and continue to the highest levels.

We are capable of forming quite a formidable soccer team these days, but the level of game in Europe in particular is higher for soccer than basketball, so the number of countries in front of us is too many, and that isn't even taking South America into consideration.

FIFA rankings are not always a good indicator of place in the world of soccer nations.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-wales-went-117-top-9605270

for more on how the FIFA rankings can be gamed effectively.

"but I guess (similar to basketball) we get penalised due to the region we are in."

Completely the opposite in soccer. The region we're in is what works in our favour when it comes to the World Cup. If we win our zone and qualify we go in ahead of far higher ranked (and better) teams from other regions.

Yes, I mean in terms of our ranking though, as opposed to qualification. In basketball it also works in our favour because all we have to do is beat NZ.

There are two major differences.
Firstly, anyone can play soccer, even if they are 4ft tall and built like a stick. So it really IS the "world game." But there's a good reason Viet Nam isn't a world power in Basketball.

Secondly, Basketball, especially organised basketball requires a certain level of infrastructure. Look around Australia, practically every high school (and many primary schools) has basketball courts, and most local councils have rec centres with FIBA compliant courts. Fact is that the majority of countries in the world are not that wealthy.
Whereas with soccer you just need a ball and some space. (And in fact the "ball" just means something you can kick.)

Its the same reason Olympic Swimming is dominated by affluent nations, whereas Athletics is much more open.

@DAZZ, the thread is more about Australian Hoops v Soccer on an international stage, not how short and poor other nations are in comparison...

We don't have either of those problems here, yet we excel at basketball while we punch above our weight in soccer...

Ok, let me break out the Crayons...

We're always going to rank higher in basketball, for the same reason we do in Swimming, Cycling, etc, etc. There is much less global competition.

Also, the "punching above our weight" (in Soccer or anything else) is somewhat of a myth.
Sure, if you compare our population, we do fantastic.
But if you consider that some of the populations we're comparing to, can't afford a pot to piss in, then maybe not so much.

Lets also not forget that compared to our kids, most of the world is malnourished.

One last point, speaking English (and having a decent education) is a HUGE advantage in basketball. There would not be nearly so many kids getting scholarships in the USA, if we all spoke "Umbumto" and finished school at age 8 to work on the farm.