Canada rises to 80th in FIFA rankings; Germany No. 1

Canada men's national soccer team head coach John Herdman, centre, stands with players, left to right, Jonathan Osorio, Liam Fraser, Jordan Hamilton, Tosaint Rickets, Ashtone Morgan, and Jay Chapman. (Mark Blinch/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

ZURICH — Germany stayed at the top of the FIFA rankings despite losing to No. 2 Brazil in a friendly last month.

The 2014 World Cup champions were beaten 1-0 at home in their last game before squads will be named for this year’s tournament in Russia.

Belgium rose two places to No. 3, while Portugal and Argentina each dropped one to Nos. 4 and 5 after losing friendlies. Spain, which beat Argentina 6-1, fell two to No. 8 and Russia fell three to No. 66.

Canada, which defeated New Zealand 1-0 in a friendly last month in Spain with new coach John Herdman at the helm, rose 10 places in the FIFA rankings to No. 80.

Tunisia, Africa’s highest-ranked team, rose nine places to No. 14, dropping CONCACAF leader Mexico to No. 15. Iran leads the Asian teams at No. 36.

No. 70 Saudi Arabia is the lowest ranked World Cup team.

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