FIFA World Rankings: Latest Standings Among Football's Elite Nations

Germany have maintained their lead atop the FIFA World Rankings during the Aug. 14 update, as little post-World Cup activity ensures a familiar-looking top 25.

A handful of teams have swapped positions during the intermission, notably a small rise for Spain, but most of the dramatic changes come further down the rankings table. Here's a look at the elite, followed by some of the more eye-catching switches hidden throughout the pecking order:

Rank	Nation	Points	Position Change
1.	Germany	1736	-
2.	Argentina	1604	-
3.	Netherlands	1507	-
4.	Colombia	1495	-
5.	Belgium	1407	-
6.	Uruguay	1316	-
=7.	Spain	1241	+1
=7.	Brazil	1241	-
9.	Switzerland	1218	-
10.	France	1212	-
11.	Portugal	1152	-
12.	Chile	1100	-
13.	Greece	1092	-
14.	Italy	1069	-
15.	Costa Rica	1023	+1
16.	Croatia	964	+1
17.	Mexico	942	+1
18.	United States of America	937	-3
19.	Bosnia and Herzegovina	925	-
20.	England	915	-
21.	Ecuador	910	-
22.	Ukraine	901	-
23.	Russia	899	-
24.	Algeria	880	-
25.	Cote d'Ivoire	840	-

Points are currently calculated through the following formula: Result x Importance of Match x Strength of Opposition x Confederation Strength = Total Points. FIFA has introduced new weighting for each confederation in the aftermath of the World Cup. This now stands at the following: CONMEBOL 1.00; UEFA 0.99; AFC, CAF, OFC and CONCACAF 0.85, per the governing body's official website.

Be sure to check out the details of this points system right here.

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Although the top 25 remain largely unaffected after a period of inactivity, FIFA's weighting also only takes into account the last four years' worth of results, known as "one World Cup cycle," per the official fact sheet. This underlines a slight tweak in positioning for the likes of Spain, Costa Rica, USA and Croatia.

Germany continue to storm the charts after their World Cup victory. A monstrous 2,364 points were accumulated during the 7-1 win over Brazil, while the final triumph against Argentina also threw in another 2,340. Such results place the Europeans a massive 132 points ahead of the team they overcame in the recent final.

The current leaders remained ecstatic by their position, as posted on the German national team's Twitter account:

German forward Lukas Podolski also reminded the world how it feels to sit on top:

Spain move up one place into equal seventh after the four-year progression. Vicente del Bosque's men—who failed to get out of the group stage during the World Cup, let alone defend their title—are now tied alongside Brazil.

The Samba Boys enjoyed a smart opening to the tournament in front of their home crowd, but the aforementioned thumping against Germany and 3-0 loss to the Netherlands sees their rank struggle.

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Other than this, Costa Rica are now in their all-time highest position of 15th after reaching the quarter-finals in Brazil, above England, per FIFA.com. The United States drop five points below rivals Mexico, with El Tri benefiting from the cycle.

Away from the elite, Ukraine are the highest of the non-World Cup nations, while most the biggest movers come from Africa.

Let's take a look at a few changes you may have missed:

Rank	Nation	Points	Position Change
50.	Sierre Leone	533	+14
77.	Benin	405	+14
86.	Botswana	371	+13
105.	Lesotho	302	+26
106.	Malawi	295	+15
123.	Guinea-Bissau	242	+13
186.	Maccau	41	+18

While these teams will be celebrating massive moves up the table, spare a thought for Panama, who have dropped 30 places down to 63rd. 

The FIFA World Rankings are next due to be calculated on Sept. 18. A major shakeup is expected, as all European teams head into battle ahead of qualification for the European Championships in 2016.

Nations including Italy and England, both of which sit lower than they should, will need to post improved performances if they are to advance up the ladder. Germany's lead appears unassailable right now, but as ever, a handful of poor results will switch the rankings up completely.