James Cox
Stephen Kenny's Republic of Ireland side has fallen to 50th place in the Fifa world rankings following a difficult international window.
Ireland suffered defeat to Portugal, followed by draws with Azerbaijan and Serbia at the Aviva Stadium.
While the Azerbaijan result was poor, Ireland showed positive signs in the games against Portugal and Serbia.
Ireland led against Portugal for long periods of the game but a Cristiano Ronaldo brace, with the winner late on, broke Irish hearts.
Meanwhile, there were positive signs in the battling draw with Serbia in Dublin.
Meanwhile, England are up to third place, their highest position in nine years.
Having sat fourth in the standings since April 2019, England leapfrogged world champions France to move up to third in the list released on Thursday.
Belgium remain top-ranked with Brazil still in second but Gareth Southgate’s side are now in the top three, matching their best-ever position within the ranking system.
They held onto third place for August and September in 2012 under Roy Hodgson and have now amassed enough points to regain a spot on the podium. — Additional reporting from Press Association
