Red Devils top first FIFA rankings of 2016

Belgium's national football team, the Red Devils, maintains its leading position in the ranking of the World Football League, according to the first FIFA rankings of 2016, released today. There are few changes since the last ranking was published in early December 2015, as almost no matches were played last month, writes De Morgen.

As in the previous ranking, the Red Devils lead with 1,494 points. That's 39 more than number two in the list, Argentina (1,455). Spain maintains its third place with 1,370 points, and world champion Germany (1,347) and Chile (1,269) complete the top five.

In early November 2015, Belgium rose to the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time since the introduction of the rankings in December 1992. The Red Devils have since played only one friendly match, which the Belgians won 3-1 over Italy. Another scheduled world league match against Spain was cancelled due to Belgium's raised terror threat.

The next FIFA ranking will be published on 4 February, although the Red Devils will likely not play another international friendly until the end of March.