Italy knock Brazil off top of world
rankings
ZURICH, Feb 14 (Reuters) - World Cup holders Italy have knocked
Brazil off the top of FIFA's world rankings after four and a half
years.
Brazil, who won the 2002 World Cup but were eliminated by France in
last year's quarter-finals, lost top spot after a 2-0 friendly
defeat by Portugal last week, FIFA said on Wednesday.
Italy were last top in November 1993, just three months after
rankings were introduced by the game's ruling body.
The rankings, which are used to determine seedings at international
tournaments, are based on the results of the past four years with
extra weight given to more recent matches.
The strength of the opposition and the nature of the competition
are also considered, with tournament and qualifying matches earning
more points than friendly games.
The six teams below Italy and Brazil remain unchanged, with
Argentina, France, Germany, England, the Netherlands and Portugal
occupying spots three to eight.
FIFA World Ranking as of February 14, 2007
1, Italy
2, Brazil
3, Argentina
4, France
5, Germany
6, England
7, Netherlands
8, Portugal
9, Czech Republic
10, Spain.
