NYON, Switzerland, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Spain remains No. 1 in the FIFA men's soccer rankings in a month that saw no changes in the Top 25.
Spain has been atop the FIFA rankings every monthly update except one since winning the 2010 World Cup. Spain first reached the No. 1 position in July 2008 and held it all but six months before winning the World Cup.
Spain has a 189-point lead over No. 2-ranked Germany with Argentina in third, 256 points back of the Spaniards.
There were only 18 matches since the December rankings' release and, as a result, the biggest change came with Sweden moving from 27th to No. 26, edging ahead of Algeria.
The FIFA world rankings are determined by points awarded from match results in a three-year period, with more recent games given greater weight. Teams get additional points for playing relatively strong opponents. The next ranking update is scheduled for Feb. 13.
The FIFA men's Top 10, listing country and rankings points:
1. Spain, 1,507
2. Germany, 1,318
3. Argentina, 1,251
4. Colombia, 1,200
5. Portugal, 1,172
6. Uruguay, 1,132
7. Italy, 1,120
8. Switzerland, 1,113
9. Netherlands, 1,106
10. Brazil, 1,102
