The FIFA / Coca-Cola World Rankings were just released earlier today. Given that there were not much international friendlies that took place during the previous time frame, it is not surprising that  there will be minimal movement. Spain retains the top spot, and so did the rest of the top ten. Chile moved up a spot to 12th, buoyed by a 3-2 win against Paraguay. The Philippines remains at 139 points, but rose up a couple of spots to 157th, as Bangladesh drops behind the country and joins fellow South Asian nation India in a tie at 158th, one point back.

The highest riser in this edition of the rankings belongs to AFC member Saudi Arabia and CONCACAF member Nicaragua, who both moved up nine spots, whilst CAF member Gabon was the biggest plunger, with a 14-spot drop. The co-host of the upcoming African Cup of Nations ended up with goalless draws against Burkina Faso and Sudan as part of their preparations for the tournament.

The top teams of each region remain unchanged: Cote D'Ivoire (CAF), Mexico (CONCACAF), Uruguay (CONMEBOL), New Zealand (OFC), Japan (AFC), Spain (UEFA). Vietnam is the top dog in the ASEAN at 101st.

Major changes is expected to take place in the rankings next month with the African Cup of Nations to take place.

If you check the Elo Ratings version, the Philippines remains at 178th with 1050 points, sandwiched between two Caribbean nations in Sint Maarten and Curacao.

The Philippines's first international friendly will take place on February 29 against Malaysia, although, the training that is to be held in Dubai will include friendlies with different clubs including Partizan Belgrade.