New Zealand will head into the Rugby League World Cup as the No.1 ranked team after the latest rankings were revealed on Friday.
Meanwhile, Tonga have surged to their highest-ever ranking, despite a heavy 26-6 loss to the Kiwis in June.
Tonga leapfrogged England to move to second place, while Australia remained at No.4, the lowest ranking in their history.
The Kangaroos haven't played an international fixture since their shock loss to Tonga in 2019.
But their counterpart Jilaroos remain the top-ranked women's team, with New Zealand only narrowly behind them.
International rugby league chair Troy Grant believes the new rankings shows the gap between the teams is getting smaller.
"The rankings also suggest that you can't rest on your laurels from past performances and being active is important, particularly leading into the World Cup," he said.
"With the Kiwis showing that they will be hard to beat, Tonga's rise continuing and the performances of Samoa and Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Tests, the Men's World Cup is wide open."
Men's top ten rugby league world rankings: 1-New Zealand, 2-Tonga, 3-England, 4-Australia, 5-Papua New Guinea, 6-Fiji, 7-Samoa, 8-Serbia, 9-France, 10-Malta
