Kenny's Ireland slump to 58th in latest FIFA rankings

FREEFALL: Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny, left, before the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match against Gibraltar. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Ireland’s slump under Stephen Kenny has been reflected by a further plummet to 58th in the latest FIFA rankings released today.

Four defeats in the opening five Euro ’24 qualifiers killed off hopes of returning to Germany next year and it seems certain Ireland will again be a third seed for the 2026 World Cup draw.

Ireland were 34th in the standings when Kenny succeeded Mick McCarthy in mid-2020 but his abject record of six wins from 28 competitive games, mostly against minnows, has led to a steady decline down the list. 

This is the first year since 2014 that Ireland slipped outside the top 50.

They remain 28th in Europe, when excluded Russia are factored in, but the likes of Albania, on the cusp of automatic qualification, and Finland are closing in on leapfrogging Ireland, as their conquerors twice over the campaign, Greece, managed to in the past year.

Kenny’s three-and-a-half year reign is due to be ended at the end of November, once the double-header against Netherlands and New Zealand concludes. England U21 boss and former Ireland midfielder Lee Carsley is leading the queue of favourites to replace him.

Ireland will have friendlies in March and June, likely against Euro-bound opposition, before the Nations League series is played off between September and November. The World Cup qualifiers are scheduled to kick off in March 2024.

There are no changes in the top three.

World champions Argentina (1st) maintain a healthy lead (8.18 points) over their closest challengers, France.

Meanwhile, Les Bleus have cemented their grip on second place, extending the gap (which now stands at 40.91 points) between themselves and Brazil (3rd). After being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Venezuela and succumbing to a 2-0 defeat away to Uruguay, A Seleção now have England (4th) breathing down their necks.

Belgium continue to round out the top five, but will also be looking over their shoulders, with a resurgent Portugal (6th, up 2) knocking on the door.

Like their Iberian neighbours, Spain (8th, up 2) have also made strides – they are now hot on the heels of the Netherlands (7th). Next up come Italy (9th) and Croatia (10th, down 4), with the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ runners-up clinging onto their spot in the top ten despite their recent setbacks.

The sole CONMEBOL country never to have reached the FIFA World Cup, Venezuela (49th, up 4) currently sit fourth in the qualifiers for the 2026 edition. La Vinotinto have returned to the world’s top 50 on the back of their continental form, taking the place of Côte d’Ivoire (52nd, down 2). 

Things are looking even rosier for Wales (28th, up 5) and Türkiye (38th, up 4). It is a similarly uplifting story for Belarus (100th, up 5), who are back inside the top 100, and Slovenia (54th, up 5).

Yet the biggest movers and shakers can be found further down the standings. For example, Kosovo (105th) have broken new ground, with a six-place jump taking them into their highest-ever position in the ranking. 

Bangladesh (183rd, up 6) will also be feeling buoyant, but the biggest climbers of all are Lithuania (134th, up 9).

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