England move above Brazil to fifth in latest Fifa world rankings

England have moved up above Brazil and into fifth place in the Fifa world rankings after their friendly victories over Spain and Sweden.

Fabio Capello’s men recorded consecutive 1-0 wins at Wembley to move up from seventh in the latest edition of the rankings, while the Republic of Ireland climbed four places to 21st as a result of their Euro 2012 play-off success against Estonia.

World and European champions Spain still top the charts ahead of 2010 World Cup runners-up Holland, followed closely by Germany, who have now closed the gap to just 20 points.

Scotland have moved up two places to 49th, with Wales now 50th after Gary Speed’s side dropped five places. Northern Ireland also fell five places to 89th.

Fifa world rankings – November edition – Top 10

1 Spain, 1,564 points

2 Netherlands, 1,365

3 Germany, 1,345

4 Uruguay, 1,309

5 England, 1,173

6 Brazil, 1,143

7 Portugal, 1,100

8 Croatia, 1,091

9 Italy, 1,082

10 Argentina, 1,067

How are the Fifa world rankings calculated?

“¢ Any team that does well in world football wins points which enable it to climb the world ranking.

“¢ A team’s total number of points over a four-year period is determined by adding:

“¢ the average number of points gained from matches during the past 12 months; and

“¢ the average number of points gained from matches older than 12 months (depreciates yearly).