Germany climbed to second placer behind World Cup winner and European champion Spain.
All of these changes in the FIFA ranking are due to the devaluation of matches from previous years, as no top-ten team has played a match in the last month.
The balance of power between the confederations remains relatively unchanged: UEFA has 27 teams in the top 50 (down 1), CONMEBOL has nine, CAF six, CONCACAF four (up 1), the AFC four and the OFC zero.
The results of 51 international matches have been taken into account in compiling the current edition of the FIFA ranking, of which 32 took place as part of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations and 19 were friendlies.
The next FIFA ranking will be issued on 7 March 2012, one week earlier than originally planned.