India static at 156th in FIFA football rankings

NEW DELHI: The Indian football team continued to languish at 156th in the latest FIFA rankings as world champions Germany dropped to number three, with beaten finalist Argentina still holding on to the numero uno spot.

India dropped a whopping 15 places in the rankings issued last month, following reverses against Oman and lowly Guam in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

The south east Asian nation has 160 points in its kitty, with neighbours Pakistan occupying 171st place.

India share the position with another Asian nation Kyrgyzstan.

National coach Stephen Constantine's side's next assignment is the World Cup preliminary joint qualification match against Asia's top ranked team Iran in Bangalore on September 8.

The match against Iran will be preceded by an international friendly against Nepal on August 31, which will be played at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune.

Elsewhere, Belgium toppled Germany to climb to the number two spot. The top three is followed by Colombia, Brazil, Portugal and Romania.

England, Wales and Copa America winner Chile complete the top-10, followed by Spain and the Netherlands.