Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side are now ranked below Burkina Faso after losing three of their last four games.
The Republic of Ireland have dropped to their lowest place in the FIFA World Rankings in nine years after a run of difficult results under the leadership of new boss Heimir Hallgrímsson.
Last month, the Boys in Green dropped four places after back-to-back losses against England and Greece, going from 58th in the world to 62nd – just eight spots off the all-time low of 70th.
Unfortunately, Ireland couldn’t follow up their win over Finland earlier this month with a result against Greece and thus have dropped down another place to 63rd.
Burkina Faso have leapfrogged Ireland to move to 62nd. It is Ireland’s lowest ranking since March 2015 when Martin O’Neill’s side stood in 66th position.
Considering the rankings affect seeding for the 2026 World Cup draw, Hallgrímsson will need some big performances from his team against Finland and England next month.
Although Ireland are one of five countries to host Euro 2028, alongside England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the national team are unlikely to gain automatic passage and will have to earn their qualification.
If Ireland fail to perform against the Finns and the English, they will likely finish bottom of the group and be relegated. If they can get some points on the board they might have a shot at finishing third and go into a relegation play-off.
Northern Ireland, on the other hand, moved up two places to 71st. Michael O’Neill’s side hammered Bulgaria 5-0 earlier this month and are currently top of their Nations League group with seven points.
