World Cup champions Italy have surpassed Brazil to rank atop at
the FIFA's world rankings after four and a half years.
Although Italy's last match was in November, Brazil, who won the
2002 World Cup but were eliminated by France in last year's
quarter-finals, lost the top spot after a 2-0 friendly defeat by
Portugal last week.
Italy were last atop in November 1993, just three months after
rankings were introduced by the game's ruling body.
The rankings, which are used to determine seedings at
international tournaments, are based on the results of the past
four years with extra weight given to more recent matches.
The six teams below Italy and Brazil remain unchanged, with
Argentina, France, Germany, England, the Netherlands and Portugal
occupying spots three to eight.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2007)