World Cup Corner

The closing stages of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany qualifiers, with a total of 77 matches, are causing more than a few ripples in the FIFA Coca-Cola World Ranking.

Brazil and the Netherlands continue to reign supreme while, coming up behind, the Czech Republic swap places with Argentina, and France with Mexico. England, for their part, break back into the top ten. Of the 27 teams that have qualified so far, fourteen feature among the top 20 and another eleven are ranked between 21 and 50. Ghana (51st) and Angola (60th) are the only two qualifiers not in the top 50.

Top 15 teams on October 19, 2005:

1. Brazil
2. Netherlands
3. Czech Republic
4. Argentina
5. France
6. Mexico
7. USA
8. Spain
9. England
9. Portugal
11. Turkey
12. Italy
13. Sweden
14. Denmark
15. Germany

The next FIFA Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on November 23. Look at the full table on FIFA.com.