Five-time World Cup champion Brazil dropped to No. 19 in the FIFA rankings on Thursday, and the United States moved up five places to No. 28.

Spain, the defending World Cup and European champion, stayed at the top, followed by Germany and Argentina. Croatia and Portugal round out the top five.

Next year's World Cup will be in Brazil and the country's national team has automatically qualified for the tournament as the host.

The rankings are based on results over a four-year cycle and Brazil, which fell one place, has dropped because it does not have to play in World Cup qualifying.

Egypt have climbed seven positions to be number 68 of the FIFA's world football ranking for April.

Top 10:  (March's positions in parentheses)

1. Spain (1)
2. Germany (2)
3. Argentina (3)
4. Croatia (9)
5. Portugal (7)
6. Colombia (6)
7. England (7)
8. Italy (5)
9. Netherlands (8)
10. Ecuador (11)

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO Sportsand on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)