ZURICH: France’s victory in the UEFA Nations League has helped lift the World Cup holders back into the top three of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

The Nations League finals featured in a busy month in international football which also included qualifiers for the World Cup and friendlies. A total of 160 fixtures were played, the impact of which can be seen in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking published on 21 October.

Though their lead is now under threat, Belgium remain top the world hierarchy despite UEFA Nations League defeats to France and Italy. Among the top five, only Les Bleus and Gli Azzurri have improved their positions.

Brazil remain second but are breathing down the neck of the Red Devils, just 12 points further back. England drop two places.

Further down Spain’s have progressed at the expense of Portugal  while Germany have overtaken the United States. Uruguay dropped three places and thus lost most ground among the top 20.

After that come some of the most significant movers of this edition. Morocco (29, +4), Russia (33, +4), Egypt (44, +4), Saudi Arabia (49, +7) and South Africa (66, +7) all made strides on the back of two wins from two this month in Qatar 2022 qualifying.

Two nations in the second half of table fared even better, with New Zealand (111, +10) and Indonesia (165, +10) the joint biggest movers this month, ahead of Central African Republic (115, +9) and Cambodia (170, +8).

Click HERE to view the complete ranking.

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 25 November 2021.

Leader    Belgium (unchanged)
Countries entering the Top 10    None
Countries exiting the Top 10    None
Total matches played    160
Most matches played    India, Nepal (5)
Biggest increase in points    Indonesia (+ 28.56 points)
Biggest increase in places    
Indonesia, New Zealand (+ 10 places)
Biggest drop in points    Chinese Taipei (- 28.56 points)
Biggest drop in places    Northern Ireland (- 11 places)
Countries joining the Ranking    None
Countries leaving the Ranking    None
Unranked inactive teams    Cook Islands

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