England plummet to 15th in Fifa world rankings in blow to World Cup hopes

England now below Serbia

England manager Roy Hodgson (GETTY IMAGES)

Roy Hodgson's England side have dropped to a five-year low of 15th place in Fifa's world rankings.

It is the team's lowest position since 2008, when the Three Lions, managed by Steve McClaren, missed out on playing in Euro 2008 and saw their ranking also drop to 15th.

It is a shock for Hodgson given that it was only in September that England were basking in their highest-ever position of third in the world.

Rankings are important because they determine seeding positions in the draw for the World Cup finals – in 2010, Fabio Capello's England were ranked seventh and were selected as one of the eight top seeds meaning they avoided the likes of Italy, Brazil and Spain in the group stage.