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Ireland fall to lowest Fifa ranking since 2015 after Greece defeat

Published 09:09 30 Jun 2023 BST

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Ireland have fallen to their lowest ranking since 2015.

The Republic of Ireland have dropped to 52nd place in the Fifa world rankings. Ireland went into the recent international break in the 49th spot in the rankings. Stephen Kenny's side then lost to Greece 2-1 before recording a 3-0 victory over Gibraltar in Dublin. Ireland's defeat in Athens dealt a massive blow to their chances of achieving automatic qualification for Euro 2024.

Ireland drop three places in latest Fifa rankings.

Ireland have swapped places with Greece in the Fifa rankings after that loss. Kenny's side are now ranked one place behind Ivory Coast, and just ahead of Saudi Arabia and Finland in Fifa's standings. Ireland's Fifa ranking could drop again in September when they face France and the Netherlands in a difficult double-header. While many football fans do not pay a lot of attention to the Fifa or Uefa rankings, they appear to be an accurate indicator of the national team's current position.

Based on recent form, Kenny's team appear on course to miss out on being one of the 24 teams who reach the Euros in Germany next summer. They are now ranked 27th place out of 55 Uefa nations. Ireland have also struggled when facing teams who are ranked above them or near them. The average Fifa ranking of the teams Kenny's team have beaten is 121. Scotland (39) are the only nation ranked in the top 50 Ireland have beaten under the current management team.

Ireland Fifa ranking.

This is the lowest the national team have been ranked since 2015 when they were ranked 67th under Martin O'Neill. At the end of 2016, however, Ireland were ranked 23rd in the world after beating higher-ranked teams such as Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy and Austria. When Kenny replaced Mick McCarthy in 2020, Ireland were ranked 34th in the world. The national team's highest-ever Fifa ranking was 6th in 1993. Elsewhere in Fifa's rankings, world champions Argentina are ranked number one, France are in the second spot and Brazil are ranked third. England are in fourth place, Scotland are in 30th place, Wales are in 35th spot and Northern Ireland are ranked 64th in the world.