Rwanda rides high in Fifa rankings

2010 World/Nations Cup qualifiers high riders Rwanda have ended the year on a high note after being ranked 78th in the latest Fifa rankings published in Zurich, Switzerland yesterday. Rwanda jumped nine places from 87 in November to clinch its highest ever position since the rankings system was established. In the Cecafa region, Rwanda is behind Kenya (68) and Uganda (71) respectively. Kenya leaped 17 positions to the take the summit of the region. Uganda climbed above Rwanda despite its failure to reach the final round of the 2010 World/Africa Cup qualifiers. Only Rwanda, Kenya and Sudan managed to reach the third round of the 2010 World/Africa Cup qualifying phase. Rwanda’s opponent in the third round of the 2010 World/Nations Cup, Egypt has moved up five places to 16. Zambia and Algeria have all dropped one position to occupy 72 and 64 positions respectively. Cameroon remains Africa’s top-ranked national side and is unmoved on the rankings. The Indomitable Lions stand 14, four places behind Turkey which has broken back into the top ten at the expense of the Czech Republic and Portugal. Egypt has gone up five places whilst Nigeria climbed three to 16 because of their perfect record in the latest stage of qualifying for the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations in 2010. Ghana is in fourth place on the continental list, but risen a single place in the world table to 25. Africa’s biggest climber is Burkina Faso which has gained 229 points to move 51 places to 62nd on the World ranking table. European champion Spain has ended the year as the world’s No. 1 in the latest FIFA rankings published Wednesday. Spain won all 16 of its matches in 2008 including the penalty shootout victory over Italy in a European Championship quarterfinal after starting the year ranked No. 4. Spain has been atop the list for six straight months since winning Euro 2008 in June. Germany, which lost in the Euro finals, is still ranked second, while the Netherlands rose one spot to No. 3, trading places with Italy. South American rivals Brazil and Argentina followed in fifth and sixth. England continued its revival under coach Fabio Capello, moving up to No. 8, and Turkey, a Euro 2008 semifinalist, climbed three spots into 10th. Fifa rankings: 1. Spain2. Germany3. Italy4. Netherlands5. Brazil Africa 1. Cameroon (14)2 Egypt (16)3. Nigeria (19)4. Ghana (25)5. Côte d’Ivoire (29) Cecafa 1. Kenya (68)2. Uganda (71)3. Rwanda (78)4. Sudan (93)5. Tanzania (99) Ends

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Rwanda rides high in Fifa rankings