Despite a win over Liechtenstein and a draw with Andorra, Malta remains 169th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking as the latest world ranking was published on Thursday.

Malta remains fifth from bottom, lying just behind Moldova (151, down 1) and just ahead of Andorra (171, down 1), Gibraltar (197), Liechtenstein (204, down 4) and San Marino (210).

Photo: © www.stephengatt.com

The next commitment for Malta should be in March 2025 as the European Qualifiers leading to the FIFA World Cup 26 get underway. The draws will be held at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, at 12:00 CET on Friday, 13 December 2024.

In the mean time, while Argentina (1st) remain at the top of the pile, France (2nd) and Spain (3rd) are in hot pursuit. England (4th) and Brazil (5th) retain their places, while Portugal (6th, up 1) and the Netherlands (7th, up 1) both climb a spot. Belgium slip a pair of positions (8th, down 2), Italy remain 9th while Germany (10th, up 1) complete the top 10.

Beyond the leading pack, Uruguay (11th, up 3), Senegal (17th, up 3) and Ecuador (24th, up 3) gain good ground while Canada (31st, up 4), Romania (38th, up 5), Norway (43rd, up 5) and Scotland (45th, up 6) all enjoy more notable climbs