NYON, Switzerland, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Egypt's victory at the Africa Cup of Nations allowed it reach a highest-ever No. 10 spot in FIFA men's world soccer rankings released Wednesday.
While the top of the FIFA rankings held firm with Spain on top followed by Brazil and the Netherlands, the African tournament led to movement in the overall rankings.
Egypt defeated Ghana 1-0 on Jan. 31 in winning its seventh Africa Cup. Nigeria beat Algeria 1-0 the day before in finishing third in the tournament.
That win boosted Egypt, which was 24th on the previous list, to No. 10 this month, making it the second African country, after Nigeria in 1994, to make the Top 10. Nigeria, ranked 15th, and Ghana, No. 27, each rose seven spots in the rankings.
FIFA said 82 matches were taken into account for the updated rankings but there was minimal movement in the Top 10.
Italy remained No. 4 ahead of, in order, Portugal, Germany, France, Argentina and England. Croatia slipped from 10th to 11th due to Egypt's move up the list.
The FIFA world rankings are determined by points awarded from match results over a three-year period, with more recent games given greater weight. Teams get additional points for playing relatively strong opponents.
