FIFA World Soccer Rankings: Spain Tops List; Mexico Ranked No. 17

As World Cup qualifying continues heading into next year's Brazil games, every team around the world hopes they're able to advance out of their respective pools and into the 2014 World Cup. The better a team plays will give them a higher probability of advancing to the biggest tournament on the planet. Piling up points and wins will also boost a team's world ranking, a number that helps legitimize national teams everywhere.

FIFA recently updated their World Rankings and while many of the familiar faces are situated comfortably along the upper echelon of the poll, some other historic powers have fallen down a bit, either by not playing well or by failing to play a certain amount of meaningful matches, not allowing legitimate views of their talent levels.

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Familiar Big 3

Defending World Cup and European champion Spain currently sits at No. 1 in the poll. Spain's next contest will come on June 8 in Miami when the world's top team battles Haiti in their first showcase in nearly three months. With unbelievable balance up and down their roster, Spain's dominance begins between the pipes with 32-year-old goalie and captain Iker Casillas. A member of the Spanish national team since 2000, Casillas has been a consistent figure on the Spanish roster. Andres Iniesta and David Villa patrol the midfield and scoring zones for the club, making them dangerous heading into the 2014 World Cup where they hope to defend their crown.

Germany lands at No. 2 in the latest rankings. The Germans finished behind only Spain and the Netherlands at the 2010 World Cup and as the 2014 Brazil games creep closer, Germany is easily among the favorites to bring home the Gold. A dangerous squad that boasts defensive guru Per Mertesacker and tremendous midfielder Lukas Podolski, the Germans should have no problem returning to the World's tournament.

Argentina rounds out the top 3 teams in FIFA's latest poll. With the best player in the world on their squad, Argentina must be considered a dangerous team moving forward. Since 2005, Lionel Messi has made 79 appearances with the National team, scoring 32 goals. Though he battled injuries at times during the season with Barcelona, Messi is fully capable of guiding Argentina to the top of the 2014 World Cup.

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Notable Rankings

Usually among the top teams in the rankings, Brazil fell all the way to No. 22, the lowest ranking in team history. As the country gets set to host the upcoming World Cup, the national team has yet to play a qualifier this month, playing in only friendlies. As they continue to prepare for the upcoming tournament as the host nation, expect the Brazilian team to put together a nice charge to solidify their presence in next summer's tournament. After all, they lead W.C. history as the only team to win five championships, the last coming in 2002.

Mexico comes in at No. 17. Fresh off a win in qualifying action against Jamaica, Mexico currently sits atop their hexagonal pool, one point ahead of Panama. With their next qualifying match against Panama, El Tri can certainly give themselves a leg up in their pool with a win over a Panama team that has never advanced to a World Cup. Tremendous goal-scorer Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez paces the Mexican team with 5 goals during qualification and along with stars Pablo Barrera and Aldo De Nigris, Mexico can strike fear into any opponent they face.

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A recent win over Germany has the United States feeling pretty good heading into their upcoming qualifier against Jamaica. Taking down a somewhat run-down German team 4-2, the United States looked capable of competing on the biggest stage, if they can advance out of a pool that includes Mexico and Panama. Moving up one spot to No. 28, the United States can solidify themselves as contenders with strong performances in their next few qualifiers.

FIFA Men's Soccer - Complete Top 10 and Notables

1. Spain (1614 pts.)

2. Germany (1416 pts.)

3. Argentina (1287 pts.)

4. Croatia (1222 pts.)

5. Netherlands (1158 pts.)

6. Portugal (1137 pts.)

7. Colombia (1123 pts.)

8. Italy (1097 pts.)

9. England (1095 pts.)

10. Ecuador (1066 pts.)

16. Greece (1006 pts.)