Italy New Number One on FIFA Rankings
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After a four and a half year reign as the #1 team in the World, the February FIFA World Rankings has deposed Brazil for current FIFA World Cup Champions Italy. The Azzurri have reached the summit for the second time, having previously been #1 for one month in 1993. This news is a small glimmer of good news in a country currently marred in soccer horror, as match fixing scandals and fan violence resulting in a police officer's death have made Serie A a muddled mess.
Top 30
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Italy
| 1562 |
| 2 |  Brazil
| 1540 |
| 3 |  Argentina
| 1535 |
| 4 |  France
| 1496 |
| 5 |  Germany
| 1359 |
| 6 |  England
| 1330 |
| 7 |  Netherlands
| 1312 |
| 8 |  Portugal
| 1262 |
| 9 |  Czech Republic
| 1193 |
| 10 |  Spain
| 1161 |
| 11 |  Ukraine
| 1018 |
| 12 |  Croatia
| 987 |
| 13 |  Greece
| 926 |
| 14 |  Switzerland
| 913 |
| 15 |  Romania
| 912 |
| 16 |  Sweden
| 894 |
| 17 |  Cameroon
| 893 |
| 18 |  Denmark
| 876 |
| 19 |  Mexico
| 857 |
| 20 |  Scotland
| 854 |
| 21 |  Cote D'Ivoire
| 853 |
| 22 |  Ghana
| 848 |
| 23 |  Poland
| 844 |
| 24 |  Uruguay
| 829 |
| 25 |  Ecuador
| 828 |
| 26 |  Turkey
| 825 |
| 27 |  Russia
| 817 |
| 28 |  United States
| 783 |
| 29 |  Serbia
| 775 |
| 30 |  Paraguay
| 755 |
The Top 10 stayed pretty static, with the only other change aside from the Italy-Brazil switch was a one spot increase for the Czech Republic, and two spots for Spain into the top 10. Outside the top 10 was pretty turbulent though, as many of the top African nations took big hits this month. The culprit for this is the fact that points gained during the African Cup of Nations last January have been devalued. Nigeria slid out of the top 10 to 36th, and the biggest hit was taken by Guinea, who went from 22nd to 62nd.
Scotland has moved up into the top 20 for only second time ever, equaling its previous highest ranking in 1999. This has been a great improvement for the Tartan Army which had been as low as 87th two years ago.
The United States also saw a jump back into the top 30, climbing from 31st to 28th on the back of friendly victories against Denmark and Mexico. While they may be staying at home for friendlies, playing high-ranked teams has helped the rating climb back up. Another high ranking friendly at the end of March will see them play Ecuador in preparation for the Gold Cup and Copa America (where their first opponent will be Argentina).
