Ireland slip towards worst-ever FIFA ranking following Nations League double header defeats

Ireland have gone down from 58th to 62nd, one of a number of nations, along with Scotland, to lose both games in the last window following losses to England and Greece. The Republic had started the year in 62nd place but had moved up, briefly, to 60th with a win over Hungary in a summer friendly but now the team are on the slide again, and with a punishing schedule on the way in the October window – away to Finland and Greece – there is the potential to slip closer to the all-time low of 70th place, which happened at the end of the Giovanni Trapattoni regime.

Argentina, France and Spain make up the top three with Ireland’s conquerors, England, unchanged in fourth place. Wales are up one place, to 29, Scotland drop to 52nd but Northern Ireland are up one, to 73rd. Finland, Ireland’s opponents next month, are two places before Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side.