Brazil hit all-time low as Italy return to top 10

Both Euro 2012 and OFC Nations Cup left their mark on the latest edition of the FIFA rankings issued yesterday.

Spain have managed to extend their lead significantly by defending their European title, while finalists Italy (6th, up 6) have also been richly rewarded for their performances in Poland and Ukraine with a return to the top ten.

Defeated semi-finalists Portugal (5th, up 5) and Germany (2nd, up 1) have equally seen improvements in their positions, as have England (4th, up 2), Greece (12th, up 3), Czech Republic (18th, up 9) and hosts Poland (54th, up 8) and Ukraine (46th, up 6).

The Netherlands, on the other hand, have slipped down (8th, down 4), while Brazil (11th, down 6), currently sit in their lowest position since the start of the world rankings.

Meanwhile, thanks to their surprising victory at the OFC Nations Cup, Tahiti have made great progress, climbing 41 spots to currently occupy 138th and securing their spot in next year’s FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

A total of 133 international ‘A’ matches have been played in recent weeks, made up of 31 Euro 2012 matches, 60 qualifiers for the World Cup Brazil, 15 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and 27 friendlies.

All of these contests have clearly reshuffled the global ladder, with only 22 of the 208 ranked teams holding their position from the previous month, while 85 teams have moved up the table and 101 have dropped at least one place.

Among those making progress on the previous FIFA ranking list for July was the Maltese national team.

In fact, Pietro Ghedin’s Malta are now in 145th position, an improvement of two places, thanks to the 2-0 away win at Luxembourg last month.

The top 20 nations
1. Spain; 2. Germany; 3. Uruguay; 4. England; 5. Portugal; 6. Italy; 7. Argentina; 8. Holland; 9. Croatia; 10. Denmark; 11. Brazil; 12. Greece; 13. Russia; 14. France; 15. Chile; 16. Ivory Coast; 17. Sweden; 18. Czech Rep.; 19. Mexico; 20. Japan.