Vahid Halilhodži?'s men maintain their global ranking ahead of ACN 2013 The top ten international football teams in the world are unchanged in the latest FIFA world rankings, with Spain maintaining their firm grip on the number one spot. Confederation of African Football (CAF) team Algeria remains second in the region, behind first-placed Ivory Coast and 19th in the world. Felipe Scolari's Brazil have dropped five places to an all-time low of 18th, as they continue to struggle on the international stage.
As World Cup hosts, the Brazilians have no qualifiers to play and have been involved in a series of friendly matches, the last of which ended in a 1-1 draw with Colombia in the United States.
The 'Mover of the Year' goes to Colombia for the second time since the FIFA World Rankings were introduced in 1993. Los Cafeteros finished 2011 in 36th, but thanks to six wins, one draw and only one defeat, and the 455 points they consequently earned - they end 2012 in fifth.
It has also been a very successful year for Ecuador, 13th, up 365 points since December 2011 and Mali, 25th, up 337 points since December 2011.
In CAF rankings, Egypt have dropped down a place from fifth to sixth. Tunisia are up to eighth, and Morocco are down to 17th. In the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rankings, Iran is 4th, but has dropped 15 places in the global rankings. Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have improved in their regional and global rankings.
Here are the top 20 international teams, according to the recent FIFA rankings:
FIFA world rankings
1. Spain
2. Germany
3. Argentina
4. Italy (+1 place)
5. Colombia (+3)
6. England
7. Portugal (-3)
8. Netherlands (-1)
9. Russia
10. Croatia
11. Greece (+1)
12. Switzerland (+4)
13. Ecuador (+4)
14. Ivory Coast (+1)
15. Mexico (-1)
16. Uruguay (-5)
17. France (+1)
18. Brazil (-5)
19. Algeria
20. Sweden (+3)

Additional reporting: AFP