KIEV, April 1 - Ukraine's national football team has taken 26th place in the latest FIFA world ranking, two spots down from a month ago, according to the official Web site of the international football organization.

Spain continues to lead, ahead of Brazil and the Netherlands. Portugal (4th, up 2 places) has overtaken Italy (5th, down 1 place) and Germany (6th, down 1 place), while England (7th, up 1 place) continues to climb the global ladder, overtaking France (8th, down 1 place). Croatia (10th, up 1 place) has returned to the top 10 after a two-month absence. Russia remains in 12th position.