FIFA rankings 'loophole' likely to disappear after World Cup draw


Cars drive past a logo in front of FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland June 8, 2016. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

(Reuters) - A loophole that allows national teams to boost their seedings for the World Cup by avoiding friendly matches is likely to disappear after next year's finals in Russia, with changes due to the international calendar and a FIFA review of their rankings system.

Currently seedings are based on the FIFA world rankings, using a points system which calculates average points for each game and is weighted against friendly matches.

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