Iran climbs five places in FIFA rankings

TEHRAN,Apr.12(MNA) – Iran has moved up five places to the 37th in the latest FIFA global rankings released on Thursday. Longtime leader Spain remains atop the FIFA rankings, followed by Germany, Portugal, Colombia and Uruguay. Iran has been drawn in Group F of the FIFA 2014 World Cup along with Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Argentina has dropped three places. Bosnia and Herzegovina has also fallen four places to 25. Nigeria has climbed two places up to 45. Iran remains as the best Asian team in the rankings, followed by Japan, Uzbekistan and South Korea. The FIFA world rankings are determined by points awarded from match results in a three-year period, with more recent games given greater weight. Teams get additional points for playing relatively strong opponents. The next FIFA World Ranking will be published on 8 May. The FIFA men's Top 10, listing country and rankings points: 1. Spain, 1460 2. Germany 1340 3. Portugal 1245 4. Colombia 1186 5. Uruguay 1181 6. Argentina 1174 6. Brazil 1174 8. Switzerland 1161 9. Italy 1115 10. Greece 1082