Brazil top of FIFA World Rankings

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Brazil top of FIFA World Rankings

Brazil replaced Spain as the number one ranked football team as announced by FIFA in its May 2010 rankings

A Seleção now tops the rankings for the seventh time in the history of the rankings, Dunga’s side replacing the European Champions at the summit of world football

Portugal’s rise to third place, their highest ever position since the launch of the rankings in 1993 and has switch places with the Netherlands, who had held third spot for nine consecutive months

Argentina moved up to seventh, with England down to eighth

Croatia is ranked ninth, and remains the highest-ranked team not to have qualified for next month’s World Cup

Also the non-qualifiers Egypt remain Africa’s top-ranked side at thirteen, and Africa now has three teams in the Top 20 with Nigeria joining Cameroon alongside Egypt

Switzerland now ranked 26 is the only nation to drop out of the Top 20

World Cup hosts nation South Africa fall two positions to 90, their worst ranking for over 16 years

North Korea remains the lowest ranked team to have qualified for next month’s World Cup and is down one place this month to 106

Republic of Ireland moves up one place to 43, one spot ahead of Scotland, who slide three places to 44. Northern Ireland is down seven to 57, whilst Wales are up two places to 75

The next rankings will be released on May 26 after many nations will have played their warm-up games for the upcoming World Cup, so more movement can be expected then

FIFA World Rankings, Top 20, May 2010 

(movements from April rankings in parenthesis)

1. Brazil (+1)

2. Spain (-1)

3. Portugal (+1)

4. Netherlands (-1)

5. Italy (-)

6. Germany (-)

7. Argentina (+2)

8. England (-1)

9. Croatia (+1)

10. France (-2)

11. Russia (+1)

12. Greece (-1)

13. Egypt (+1)

14. USA (+2)

15. Chile (-2)

16. Serbia (-1)

17. Mexico (-)

18. Uruguay (-)

19. Cameroon (+1)

20= Nigeria (+2)

20= Australia (-1)