Soccer: Brazil top Fifa rankings

Brazil stayed atop the world soccer rankings released today but former champions France and Argentina lost ground with the World Cup less than a month away.

Brazil, champions and favourites for the World Cup starting in Germany on June 9, lead the Czech Republic with the Netherlands in third place.

Mexico rose two places to fourth after a recent win over the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the United States dropped one position to join Spain in equal fifth.

Portugal climbed one spot to take seventh place from France, who fell to eighth. Argentina, also among the World Cup favourites, dropped one place to ninth.

New Zealand rose two places to 118 in the rankings.

On July 12, three days after the World Cup final, the sport's world governing body, Fifa will publish new world rankings based on a simplified method of calculation to be announced during the last week of the tournament.

The evaluation period will be cut from eight to four years.

* Rankings (last month's position in brackets)

1. Brazil (1) 827 points
2. Czech Republic (2) 772
3. Netherlands (3) 768
4. Mexico (6) 758
5 United States (4) 756
5 Spain (5) 756
7. Portugal (8) 750
8. France (7) 749
9. Argentina (8) 746
10. England (10) 741
11 Nigeria (12) 736
11 Denmark (11) 736
13. Italy (14) 728
14. Turkey (13) 726
15. Cameroon (15) 722
16. Sweden (16) 709
17. Egypt (18) 708
18. Japan (17) 705
19. Germany (19) 696
20. Greece (19) 694

Also

42. Australia (44) 612
118. New Zealand (120) 376

- REUTERS