The England men’s football team has moved up to third in the latest FIFA Rankings, equalling their best-ever position within the ranking system. This is the first time England has been in the top three since September 2012.
Gareth Southgate, the unlikely hero of England’s success
Following their defeat in the Euro 2020 final, England beat Hungary and Andorra 4-0 in World Cup qualifying earlier this month and drew 1-1 against Poland. England was placed at 13th position in the FIFA World Cup rankings when Southgate was appointed as manager permanently in November 2016. Since then, England has reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. They finished in the last four of the inaugural Nations League the following summer and reached the finals of the major tournament for the first time since the 1966 World Cup at Euro 2020.
Belgium at the top while Brazil remains second in FIFA rankings
Belgium remains at the top, while Brazil is at the2nd position in the latest FIFA rankings. Despite failing to win an international tournament since 2018, Belgium still has been top of the rankings. The Euro 2020 champions, Italy are in fifth place. Portugal has moved up to seventh, while Spain falls down to the eighth position.
Wales stay in the 19th after a victory against Belarus sandwiched between draws against Finland and Estonia. Northern Ireland has moved up four spots, wins over Lithuania and Estonia, and a draw with Switzerland lifted them to 47th. Scotland, who lost to Denmark before beating Moldova and Austria, rosed four places to 45th. The Republic of Ireland has fallen from 47th to 50th after losing to Portugal and draws with Azerbaijan and Serbia.