Argentina have moved to the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in seven years despite being beaten by Chile in the Copa America final.

Argentina lost on penalties in Santiago on Saturday but Gerardo Martino’s side rose two places to top the rankings a year after losing to Germany in the World Cup final.

Chile’s victory moved them up eight spots to 11th.

Argentina’s rise to the top means Germany and Belgium drop a place to second and third respectively.

Following a string of solid results, Wales have risen to their highest ever world ranking of 10th, earning them a Pot 1 seeding in UEFA’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers draw being held later this month.

A 1-0 win over Belgium in Euro 2016 qualifying last month moved Chris Coleman’s side to the top of Group B on 14 points.

England moved up to ninth, one place behind Romania. Italy lost further ground on the top 10 after dropping to 17th.

Further down the table, Malta plunged 13 places on the back of their 1-0 defeat to Bulgaria in last month’s Euro 2016 Group H qualifier at the National Stadium.

The Maltese national team slipped to 158th position on 154 points despite a 2-0 victory over Lithuania (ranked 110th) in a friendly last month.

Malta trail other European minnows such as Moldova (124), Kazakhstan (142), Luxembourg (146), Liechtenstein (147) and Georgia (153).

Top 10
1. Argentina 1,473 points; 2. Germany 1,411; 3. Belgium 1,244; 4. Colombia 1,217; 5. Netherlands 1,204; 6. Brazil 1,186; 7. Portugal 1,177; 8. Romania 1,166; 9. England 1,157; 10. Wales 1,155.

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