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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

FIFA World Cup seeds set

Belgium, Colombia and Switzerland will be three of the eight seeded teams at the World Cup because of their FIFA ranking. FIFA decided this month that the seven best-ranked nations in Thursday’s list would be seeded alongside host nation Brazil, which is ranked No. 11. Long-time leader Spain, the defending World Cup champion, remains first in the rankings, followed by Germany and Argentina. Colombia and Belgium are next despite not playing at the 2010 World Cup, which is still a factor in the rankings over a four-year cycle of results. The United States held tight at 13th and Mexico dropped to 24th. – Associated Press