India static at 153rd in FIFA rankings

India will start the AFC Challenge Cup in Hyderabad as the second highest ranked team behind North Korea.

India will start the July 30-August 10 AFC Challenge Cup in Hyderabad as the second highest ranked team behind North Korea after it remained static at 153rd position at the latest FIFA rankings issued on Wednesday.

India, who lost to Maldives in the final of SAFF Championship, gained only one point from the five matches (four wins and one loss) to occupy the 25th spot among the Asian countries.

North Korea gained 24 places to rise to 94th position after their good showing in the World Cup qualifiers.

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Four teams taking part in the AFC Challenge Cup – Sri Lanka (161st), Myanmar (164th), Nepal (177th) and Afghanistan (181st) — all gained one place while Tajikistan (154th) slip one rung and Turkmenistan lost eight places to 158th.

South Asian Champions Maldives are three places below India at 156th while Pakistan go down nine places to 169th and Bangladesh at 182nd spot.

Among Asian Football Confederation countries, Japan leads the pack at 34th followed by Iran (37th) and Australia (40th).

In the world rankings, newly-crowned Euro 2008 champions Spain climbed up to the top for the first time with Italy and Euro runners-up Germany forming the European trio at the top of the table.

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Former world champions Brazil are fourth followed by the Netherlands at fifth while last month’s number one team Argentina occupy the sixth position.

Croatia, the Czech Republic, Portugal and France rounded out the top 10.

Russia was the biggest riser in the top 50 with its Euro 2008 semifinal appearance lifting it 13 places to number 11.

Cameroon was the highest-ranked African team at 13th, while Mexico at No. 19 was the best of the CONCACAF sides.

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