England have climbed to fifth place in the latest FIFA world rankings, with Belgium now clear at the top. Gareth Southgate’s men beat Spain 3-2 in their Nations League fixture in Sevilla on October 15, which helped the Three Lions move up from sixth to a five-year high placing. Wales, meanwhile, move up to 18th, but the Republic of Ireland (33) and Northern Ireland (34) both fall, along with Scotland, who are in 40th place after suffering back-to-back including their Nations League clash in Israel. Minnows Gibraltar were the biggest climbers of the European countries, up eight spots to 190th following wins in their Nations League matches against Armenia and Lichenstein. FIFA now uses a new formula for calculating ranking positions, which adds up points for wins and takes away points for any defeats.

Source: Irish Examiner October 25, 2018 13:18 UTC