• FIFA Rankings

England sink to 20th in the world

ESPN staff
July 17, 2014
England were dumped out of the World Cup with just one point from three matches © Getty Images
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England have slumped to 20th in the latest FIFA rankings, their lowest position since May 1996.

The fall sees Roy Hodgson's team slide 10 places, meaning they are now ranked below the likes of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Costa Rica and the USA.

The drop reflects a poor World Cup for England, which saw them fail to qualify from their group after defeats by Italy and Uruguay and a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica.

Spain have suffered a similar fate, sinking from first to eighth after they failed to make the knock-stage in Brazil, while Germany lead the rankings for the first time in two decades.

Germany last held the top spot in March 1994. Joachim Low's side have, though, been in the top three since June 2011 and their World Cup success finally moves them back to the summit.

Scotland are non-movers at 27th and Wales have dropped three places to 44th, while Northern Ireland are up one to 89th and Republic of Ireland stay 70th.

Argentina climb five places to second after finishing narrow runners-up at the World Cup, with Netherlands also making a gain of a huge 12 places into the top three after finishing third. It is the Netherlands' highest position since they were second in March 2012.

Brazil move up from seventh to fourth while Belgium complete the top five, up six places, to match their highest-ever ranking from October of last year.

Portugal and Italy join England among the biggest fallers - all dropping out of the top 10 - after, like Spain, they failed to make the knockout rounds.

Portugal drop seven places to 11th while Italy are now 14th from fifth, but France's renaissance continues as they move back into the top 10 in 10th for the first time since May 2010, when they were ninth prior to their implosion in South Africa.

United States drop one place to 15th, with Mexico up one place to 18th.

Elsewhere in the rankings, Turks and Caicos Islands won their first match for six years- against the British Virgin Islands in a Concacaf Gold Cup qualifier - to move off the bottom of the rankings, up 26 places to 181th.

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