Bolivia advances in FIFA ranking

Bolivia has moved up nine spots on the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) world ranking of soccer nations after holding South American top-seeded Argentina to a draw in the current 2014 World Cup qualifiers.Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) said on Wednesday, the 1-1 draw against Argentina was celebrated as a major victory in Bolivia, which rarely makes positive headlines in international soccer, and boosted national confidence ahead of the remaining qualifying matches for the 2014 finals in Brazil.The national team's improved ranking was published by FIFA earlier on Wednesday and shows Bolivia currently ranked 106 in the world, up from the record last month where Bolivia fell 34 spots to number 115 after losing the two first World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Colombia.FBF manager Alberto Lozada said the new ranking is a great boost to the Bolivian soccer team and said he is confident the team still has time to recover more, both on the FIFA ranking and in the World Cup qualifications."This is a regrettable position for the country because it ratifies we are going through one of the worst moments in our soccer history and currently holds the bottom position of teams in South America," said Lozada.The highest ranked South American teams in the new FIFA evaluation is Uruguay at number 4, Brazil at number 6, Argentina in 10th and Chile which is ranked 13th. European teams Spain, the Netherlands and Germany take the three top spots.Bolivia has only once managed to qualify for the World Cup when it particiapted in the 1994 finals in the United States.