Ghana ended the year in 16th place in the latest Fifa ranking released on Wednesday.

The Black Stars moved one place up and the ranking is a reflection of their exploits at the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup finals in South Africa.

The results of 111 new”A” international matches have been recognized in the current edition of the rating.

Ghana are second on the continent behind African champions Egypt who are ranked 9th in the world.

World champions Spain lead the pack and are followed by the Netherlands.

In terms of points, 14 qualifying matches for continental championships in Europe, the Caribbean and Africa were of particular importance, while the remaining 97 matches were friendlies.

With a total of 785 matches taken into account so far this year, the final tally for 2010 may well exceed the 800 mark, bringing it just above the average for a World Cup year.

The next Fifa ranking will be published on 12 January 2011.