Malta climbed one place to 190th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking in the list for August as published on Thursday.
Malta and Liechtenstein remain joint-third from bottom in Europe, ahead of San Marino (204) and Gibraltar (206). Lying ahead of Malta are Kosovo (180, down 3), Moldova (159, down 1), Luxembourg (136, down 1), FYR Macedonia (135, down 1) and Andorra (129).
The national team will be in action next month in two World Cup qualifiers against England on September 1 and Scotland three days later.
Meanwhile Brazil have returned to the top of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking after a one-month hiatus, replacing reigning FIFA World Cup™ champions Germany (2nd, down 1), who slipped back into second spot.
Argentina remain in third but the heavyweight trio are accompanied in the top five by two sides reaching unusually heady heights. Switzerland (4th, up 1) have reached their highest position since the very first month of the World Ranking (they were third in August 1993), while Poland (5th, up 1) are at an all-time high. Neither have dropped in the standings for 11 months.
Portugal (6th, down 2) make way for the pair, while Belgium (9th, up 1) are the only other climber within the top ten.
Photo: Copyright © Paul Zammit Cutajar
Ghandna biex niftahru .! Posizzjoni tal MISTHIJA tabilhaqq. Warajna baqa iss 20 pajjiz !
Ma nistax nifhem kif Malta waqajna fil-qieh tal- klassifika meta irbahna lill timijiet bhal Ukranja 27 fir-ranking u kapaci ngelbu timijiet bhall-Armenja l-Azerbaijan , Faroe Islands li qeghdin ma l-ewwel MIJA fid-Dinja ! Wasal iz-zmien li l-MFA tara bis-Serjeta x’jista jsir biex FORSI nkunu ma l-ewwel MIJA .
Ta minn insemmi pajjiz fil-Karibew CURACAO , gzira ftit akbar minn Malta u Ghawdex flimkien , popolazzjoni 160.000 ruh biss u qeghdin irrenkjati fis-86 post !