Soccer: All Whites dip in FIFA rankings

After their two home internationals the All Whites are now ranked 51st in the world. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand's giddy days inside the world top 50 soccer nations are over.

The latest FIFA rankings, released today, see the All Whites drop fractionally to 51st place.

Ranked 78th going into the World Cup in June, New Zealand rocketed up into 49th place after going through the tournament undefeated.

Draws against Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia in South Africa were behind New Zealand's elevation.

But a 1-1 draw with Honduras in Auckland earlier this month, followed by a 0-2 loss to Paraguay in Wellington, has seen the All Whites dip slightly in the latest FIFA rankings.

Spain and the Netherlands top the rankings, followed by Brazil and Germany. Croatia, ranked ninth, and Russia (10th), make the top 10.

Rankings
1. Spain (1).
2. Netherlands (2).
3. Brazil (4).
4. Germany (3).
5. Argentina (5).
6. England (6).
7. Uruguay (7).
8. Portugal (8).
9. Croatia (11).
10. Russia (25)
11. Egypt (9).
12. Greece (12).
13. Norway (14).
14. Chile (10).
15. Slovenia (19).
16. Italy (13).
17. Ghana (20).
18. France (27).
19. Ivory Coast (23).
20. Slovakia (16).

Also:
21. Australia (24).
51. New Zealand (49).