Portugal jumps into top 5 of Fifa world rankings

Portugal was the only team that moved up in the top ten of the updated Fifa World Rankings on Wednesday, climbing two spots to No 5. Brazil and Morocco each fell one spot in the only other changes within the top ten, after each drew a friendly during the just-concluded international window. Portugal won all four Uefa Nations League matches during this window, beating Norway twice and Wales and Denmark once each. Spain, fresh off winning its second World Cup this summer, built on its margin as the top-ranked team after sweeping the first four Nations League matches, beating England 3-2, Croatia twice and the Czech Republic. Argentina remains No 2 after beating Benin 3-0 Tuesday night in Lionel Messi’s final match for his country, while France and England round out the top four. Belgium, the Netherlands and Mexico complete the top ten. The United States remains in the same spot at No 16 despite a 4-0-0 international window that included victories over Peru (4-1), Chile (4-2), Mexico (3-0) and Canada (1-0). Rwanda was the biggest riser in the rankings, jumping nine spots to No 119 thanks in large part to beating World Cup darling Cape Verde 2-1 in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on September 29. Sierra Leone was the biggest faller in this update, dropping eight spots to No 130 after losing both Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches. The rankings will next be updated on November 18.