Despite the heavy 8-0 defeat to the Netherlands, Malta climbed one place and is now ranked 168th in the FIFA Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking as published on Thursday, also thanks to the fact that Malta earned the first point in Group G in a goalless draw with Lithuania at home three days earlier.
Malta remains fifth from bottom among UEFA member associations lying behind Moldova (154) and ahead of Andorra 174, down 1), Gibraltar (199, down 3), Liechtenstein (204, up 1) and San Marino 210.
The next commitment for Emilio De Leo’s side is away from home to Lithuania on September 4 which could be followed by a friendly match a few days later.
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Meanwhile the last few months have seen some awe-inspiring football action, including on the international stage with FIFA World Cup 26 qualifiers, confederation showpieces and a number of friendly matches. More than 200 relevant national-team encounters have been contested around the world since the last edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking was released, and those fixtures have made their mark on the standings.
The changes start at the top end, with Croatia climbing one place to return to the top 10 at the expense of Italy (11th, down 2). For their part, Portugal (6th, up 1) and the Netherlands (7th, down 1) have swapped places, while eighth-placed Belgium have not budged but now have Germany (9th, up 1) looming behind them. There is no movement at the summit, however. Argentina remain in pole position, with Spain (2nd) and France (3rd) still their closest challengers and England and Brazil continuing to round off the top five in that order.