Germany Leapfrog Brazil, Argentina to Reclaim FIFA World Rankings No. 1 Spot
Germany have usurped Brazil at the top of the FIFA world rankings following their Confederations Cup victory.
World football's governing body revealed the latest standings on Thursday via Twitter, with Joachim Low's side back on top for the first time since 2015:
It's an announcement that caps off a wonderful spell of international football for Germany. Aside from their success at the Confederations Cup, the nation's under-21 side beat Spain to win the UEFA Under-21 European Championship, too.
There are some big movers in the top 10 as well as Germany, who leapfrogged Brazil (second) and Argentina (third).
It's been a good month for Portugal, Switzerland and Poland, who occupy fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. They each moved up four places in the rankings, with the latter now in the highest position in their history.
Copa America champions and Confederations Cup runners-up Chile are in seventh, while Colombia, France and Belgium make up the rest of the top 10. Spain, meanwhile, have been pushed out of the top 10, settling in 11th.
Further back, there have been more historic moves from teams. Iceland were recognised for their recent progression with an improved ranking of 19; here's a reminder of why they are such a popular international outfit among neutrals:
As noted below, after a memorable year under manager Michael O'Neill, Northern Ireland are in their best-ever position, too:
Andorra are the biggest movers in this edition of the rankings, jumping up 57 places into 129th having won two and drawn one of their last three matches. Prior to this decent run, the minnows had lost 24 and drawn one of their previous 25 games.
Germany have long been one of the most dominant international sides on the planet and will be tough to beat next summer at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia when they defend the title they won in Brazil.
Indeed, BBC Sport's Phil McNulty suggested that in the grand scheme of things, these rankings mean little for the official world champions:
The Confederations Cup win was made all the more impressive given the fact Germany took a reserve team to the competition. Low's youngsters delivered emphatically, offering up another reminder of the incredible depth they have at their disposal.
Although plenty of sides are looking in fine shape ahead of the World Cup next summer—including a rejuvenated Brazil team and a star-studded France squad—Germany once again are establishing a deserved reputation as the team to fear.
