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Russian football team is back at its worst-ever 61st position in new FIFA rankings

The team managed to creep up just one rung in FIFA March ratings, but lost this position again in this month’s ranking list

© Vitaly Timkiv/TASS

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. The Russian national team returned to its two-month old, worst-ever record dropping to the 61st place in the newly published ratings edition of the world’s governing body of football FIFA on Thursday.

Having dropped to its record low 56th position in FIFA rankings four months ago, the Russian national football team plunged five positions further two months ago to the 61st place. The team managed to creep up just one rung in FIFA March ratings, but lost this position again in this month’s ranking list.

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Last time the Russian national team made up its way in the ranking lists was way back in February 2016, when it climbed one position from 24th place to 23rd. Since that time the national football team has kept plunging in the international ranking, hitting its record-low 61st place in February and repeating it again this month.

The top-ten, however, saw reshuffles this month with Brazil moving to the top of the world’s best football team’s following a seven-year break.

"Brazil capped a fine fortnight of football by moving to the top of the FIFA… world ranking after a seven-year hiatus," the FIFA said in its statement on Thursday.

"With 129 games played during the month, there was movement throughout the table, with just 19 of the 211 member associations retaining their March positions," the statement added.

Current leaders of FIFA rankings Brazil is followed by the national teams of Argentina, Germany, Chile, Colombia, France, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain.

The next edition of the FIFA ranking list will be put out on May 4, 2017.

National teams around the globe are currently in the qualifying stage battling for a place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, while Russia as the host nation has been already guaranteed a berth in the world’s main quadrennial football event.

Therefore, the Russian national team is playing friendly football matches in the run-up to the much anticipated 2018 FIFA World Cup.

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