Iran surges in FIFA rankings

TEHRAN,July 6(MNA) – Iran moved 15 places up to 52nd in the latest FIFA monthly rankings released by world football's governing body on Thursday. Iran surged to 52nd spot with 596 points after the Persians earned three consecutive wins over Qatar, Lebanon and South Korea in the World Cup qualifiers. Brazil has surged to ninth in the FIFA rankings after winning the Confederations Cup, rebounding from its historic low standing. The five-time World Cup winner and 2014 host had fallen to 22nd before a five-match victory streak earned the warm-up event title. Spain continue to lead the way atop the rankings ahead of Germany and Colombia, with the South American nation moving into the top three for the first time after rising four spots. In addition to the 16 FIFA Confederations Cup games, 89 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and 29 friendlies were played in the past month, bringing the total number of international ‘A’ matches taken into account this year to 440.