The Uefa president, Michel Platini, believes England to be one of only three teams with the ability to win this year's World Cup. The Frenchman does not include his own country in the list – which also features Brazil and Spain – ranking them instead in a second tier of teams which he sees as little more than irritants.

"I see three teams who have the quality to win it – in alphabetical order, Brazil, England and Spain," he told a news conference at the Uefa congress in Tel Aviv. "Other teams may be hard to beat but they may not have the potential in absolute terms to win the World Cup."

Brazil and Spain are currently ranked first and second in the world by Fifa, but England are only eighth. Holland, Italy, Germany, Portugal and France are ranked ahead of Fabio Capello's charges by Fifa, but not by Platini. The president of European football's governing body mentioned all of those teams except Germany, as well as Argentina and Ivory Coast, in his list of sides that could cause trouble for his top three at the finals in South Africa.

Brazil have lifted the trophy five times, England were winners in 1966 and Spain are the current European champions.