World Cup holders Italy have knocked Brazil off the top of FIFA's world rankings after four and a half years.

Brazil, who won the 2002 World Cup but were eliminated by France in last year's quarter-finals, lost top spot after a 2-0 friendly defeat by Portugal last week, FIFA said on Wednesday.

Italy were last top in November 1993, just three months after rankings were introduced by the game's ruling body.

The rankings, which are used to determine seedings at international tournaments, are based on the results of the past four years with extra weight given to more recent matches.

The strength of the opposition and the nature of the competition are also considered, with tournament and qualifying matches earning more points than friendly games.

The six teams below Italy and Brazil remain unchanged, with Argentina, France, Germany, England, the Netherlands and Portugal occupying spots three to eight.