The fall follows consecutive losses the Chinese side conceded to Thailand and the United States on May 16 and June 3 respectively.

In Asia, China slipped by one spot to the 8th. Japan leapfrogs Iran to be the continent¡¯s front-runner and 40th in the world.

World champions Italy is still leading the table, while France leapt over Brazil to become second. Argentina and Germany came fourth and fifth.

China coach Zhu Guanghu¡¯s squad is to face tough challenges in the upcoming Asian Cup tournament, where they will play Iran, Malaysia and Uzbekistan in group C.

The team will have their last opportunity at the continent¡¯s biggest football tournament to earn enough points for remaining in the Asian top eight. If not, they will have to play qualifying competitions of the World Cup 2010 unseeded without a home pitch advantage.

The 2007 Asian Cup, co-hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, will kick off in mid-July.