Men’s National Football Teams from the Americas are catching up to their European counterparts, and countries that were traditionally considered perennial underdogs are surprising the world of sport in the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

The recent, solid performance by Costa Rica at the CONCACAF Qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia has resulted in a nice boost of eight places. Costa Rica is currently ranked 25^th in the world and seeking to return to the Top 20 as the National Team prepares to advance to the hexagonal round.

According to the press release by FIFA, Argentina is once again topping the list. The Belgium Red Devils move into second place, followed by the South American sensation of Chile, a National Team that has been returning to football greatness this decade.

Other Top Ten National Teams from the Americas include Colombia at fourth place and Uruguay, an international nemesis of Costa Rica, at ninth place.

Mexico and Costa Rica join Turkey as the National Teams with the most impressive gains. Trinidad and Tobago, despite a strong performance at the CONCACAF qualifiers, slipped behind Australia, Egypt and Norway.

Northern Ireland is nipping at the heels of Costa Rica on the 26^th position. It is interesting to note that manager Michael O’Neill has been inspiring his players to emulate the spirit and style of play that Costa Rica displayed during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where La Sele was dubbed the “giant slayer” after defeating former World Cup champs Uruguay and Italy before coming away with a draw against England.

By following the example of Costa Rica, Northern Ireland wants to be the stunning national team of the Euro 2016. The Green and White Army is drawn in a tough group that includes reigning World Champion Germany as well as Poland and Ukraine.