Scotland and Wales drop in latest FIFA rankings
Scotland and Wales have fallen in the latest FIFA rankings after the sides failed to win any of the games during the last round of UEFA 2012 European Football Championship qualifying fixtures.
Wales have dropped 20 places to take them to 104th, while Scotland have slipped ten places to 57th.
England have retained their sixth place, while Northern Ireland have risen four positions to 41st and the Republic of Ireland have moved up one place to 32nd.
Wales have now fallen behind the likes of Canada, Azerbaijan and Iraq and are perilously close to equalling their lowest ranking — 109th, which they reached in 2000. The fall in the rankings follows a
1-0 defeat at home to Bulgaria and a heavy 4-1 loss in Switzerland that has left them at the bottom of their qualifying group with no points from three games.
Scotland, meanwhile, are now equal with Venezuela and have dropped behind the likes of South Africa, Bosnia-Herzegovina and New Zealand after a 1-0 defeat by the Czech Republic in Prague and a narrow 3-2
loss to world and European champions Spain at Hampden.
Italy drop to 16th
Italy have fallen to 16th, their lowest ranking. The 2006 FIFA World Cup winners failed to win any of their games at the World Cup this summer and finished bottom of their group. In their last Euro 2012
fixture with Northern Ireland, they were held to a goalless draw.
Spain and Holland have held on to the top two spots, with Brazil and Germany behind them. Croatia and Russia — who moved up 15 spots — have moved up into the top ten, into ninth and tenth respectively.
Elsewhere, Montenegro have continued their rapid rise with a 14-place jump up to 26th. The next set of official FIFA rankings will be issued on 17 November.
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