Italy move up to second place
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World champions Italy have made the most notable improvement in the new Fifa world rankings.
The Azzurri's 5-3 penalty victory over France in the World Cup final last Sunday has seen the Italians move up 11 places to second, only behind the five-times world champions, Brazil.
The Brazilians keep their top spot despite being knocked out in the quarter finals to finalists France, who move up four places to fourth.
Argentina also move up the rankings to third place, having previously sat in ninth. England make up the top five teams, having made a considerable improvement, moving up five places to fifth.
Besides minimal changes to the top 10 rankings, host nation Germany were the other big movers, up 10 places to ninth, after their performances in front of their home fans guided them to third place in this year's tournament.
Other improvements in rankings came for Switzerland (13th having moved up 22 places), Ukraine (15th, up 30) and Ghana (25th, up 23).
The new rankings have seen numerous improvements for African football, with teams such as Cameroon and Nigeria finding themselves just outside of the top 10, despite not qualifying for this year's World Cup.
The changes have also seen Mexico, USA, Iran, Japan and South Korea all slip down the table after disappointing tournaments.
A new method of calculation for the rankings has been used this year, which has introduced changes in point allocation, the consideration of the opposition's strength, the importance of match and regional strength.
The next Fifa world rankings will be announced on 16 August this year.
The Azzurri's 5-3 penalty victory over France in the World Cup final last Sunday has seen the Italians move up 11 places to second, only behind the five-times world champions, Brazil.
The Brazilians keep their top spot despite being knocked out in the quarter finals to finalists France, who move up four places to fourth.
Argentina also move up the rankings to third place, having previously sat in ninth. England make up the top five teams, having made a considerable improvement, moving up five places to fifth.
Besides minimal changes to the top 10 rankings, host nation Germany were the other big movers, up 10 places to ninth, after their performances in front of their home fans guided them to third place in this year's tournament.
Other improvements in rankings came for Switzerland (13th having moved up 22 places), Ukraine (15th, up 30) and Ghana (25th, up 23).
The new rankings have seen numerous improvements for African football, with teams such as Cameroon and Nigeria finding themselves just outside of the top 10, despite not qualifying for this year's World Cup.
The changes have also seen Mexico, USA, Iran, Japan and South Korea all slip down the table after disappointing tournaments.
A new method of calculation for the rankings has been used this year, which has introduced changes in point allocation, the consideration of the opposition's strength, the importance of match and regional strength.
The next Fifa world rankings will be announced on 16 August this year.
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