ZURICH -- Spain regained the top spot in the FIFA rankings after winning its first World Cup title, and the United States moved up one place to 13th.
Spain, which beat the Netherlands 1-0 in overtime on Sunday to add the world title to its European Championship, took over No. 1 from five-time champion Brazil, which had displaced the Spaniards in April. The Netherlands moved up two places to second in rankings released Wednesday, while Brazil fell to third.
The U.S., which plays Brazil in an exhibition on Aug. 10 at East Rutherford, N.J., is in its highest position since the Americans were 11th in October 2009. The Americans won their World Cup group for the first time since 1930 before losing to Ghana in the second round.
Third-place Germany climbed two places to No. 4 and was followed by Argentina, Uruguay, England, Portugal, Egypt and Chile.
Chile rose eight places. New Zealand made the biggest jump, climbing 24 spots to 54th.
Italy, the 2006 World Cup champion, dropped six places to 11th and France fell 12 spots to 21st. Both were eliminated in the first round.
Comments