IRELAND HAVE MOVED up one place in the latest FIFA world rankings after last month’s drawn games with Sweden and Austria.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s men — who are facing an uphill battle to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil next summer — are now in 39th place.
The top three of Spain, Germany and Argentina remain unchanged while England have dropped three positions in the wake of their 1-1 draw in Montenegro.
An 8-0 rout over San Marino was not enough to stop the Three Lions slipping to seventh place, overtaken by Portugal (fifth) and Croatia (fourth).
It’s really bad news for Northern Ireland, meanwhile, who slump to lowly 119th spot — below the likes Surinam and Tajikistan – having lost their only match at home to Israel. Wales have leapt a massive 22 spots from 71st to 49th, while Scotland — who were beaten by the Welsh in March — are down 11 to 77th position.
