Uncategorized

England Moves Down to 20th in FIFA Ranking, Lowest Ever Since 1996

Published

10 years ago

July 18, 2014

England have fallen to 20th in the latest Fifa world rankings, their lowest position since May 1996.
The drop of 10 places following a poor World Cup means they are behind Bosnia-Hercegovina, Costa Rica and the USA.
Spain have gone from top to eighth, with Germany leading the rankings for the first time in two decades.
Scotland remain 27th but Wales have dropped three places to 44th. Northern Ireland are up one to 89th, while Republic of Ireland stay 70th.
World top 10 (compared to June rankings)
1 – Germany (+1) 6 – Uruguay (+1)
2 – Argentina (+3) 7 – Brazil (-4)
3 – Netherlands (+12) 8 – Spain (-7)
4 – Colombia (+4) 9 – Switzerland (-3)
5 – Belgium (+6) 10 – France (+7)
England were third in August 2012 but World Cup defeats by Italy and Uruguay and a draw against Costa Rica have seen their standing fall.
After failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and just prior to the 1996 European Championships, England were ranked 24th. Their lowest ever placing came in February 1996, when they were 27th.
World Cup finalists Argentina are second, while the Netherlands have climbed 12 places to third after their impressive run at the tournament.
Brazil drop four places to seventh, while Colombia, who lost to the host nation in the World Cup quarter-finals, rise to fourth.
Belgium and France benefited from reaching the World Cup quarter-finals, climbing to fifth and 10th respectively.