ZURICH, Switzerland — Germany has climbed to the top of the FIFA rankings after winning the World Cup for the first time in 24 years.
The four-time champions, who beat Argentina 1-0 at the Maracana on Sunday, have replaced Spain in first place as well as succeeding them as world champions.
Argentina and the Netherlands complete the new-look top three.
Spain's title defense surprisingly ended in the group stage, and the team has dropped to eighth place.
First-round exits also led to Portugal going down seven places to 11th, Italy dropping five to 14th and England plummeting 10 spots to 20th.