ZURICH: Turkmenistan (142nd, up 24) and North Korea  (86th, up 25) were the month’s strongest teams the April edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

Twenty-four matches counted this past month, three-quarters of them at the AFC Challenge Cup which saw Turkmenistan and North Korea each top their group reach final unbeaten. North Korea won the showdown 2-1 thanks to a late goal thus reached the AFC Asian Cup 2015 in Australia.

In the leading pack, Holland (fourth, down two) slipped out of the top three for the first time since June 2010. Climbers Germany (second, up one) and Uruguay (third, also up one) are now the closest challengers to continuing leaders Spain. Uruguay’s third-place ranking is their highest since the rankings were created.

Denmark (ninth) are back in the top 10 after an absence of one month, Danish Dynamite’s highest ranking since August 1997, while Romania (45th, up eight), Libya (46th, up nine), Scotland (48th, up three) and El Salvador (49th, up nine) have all made it into the top 50.

Alongside Libya and El Salvador, the Philippines (148th, up eight) have achieved their highest-ever position since the introduction of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, thanks to their third-place finish at the AFC Challenge Cup.

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