Spain have climbed to the top of the FIFA Men’s World Rankings following their triumph at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while Argentina dropped to second after losing the final.
The latest rankings released on Monday reflect the impact of the tournament, which concluded in North America with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute to hand La Roja their second FIFA World Cup title.
The victory earned Spain a significant points boost, taking them to 1,995.88 points and lifting them above Argentina to become the world’s highest-ranked team.
Argentina, who entered the tournament as reigning world champions and the top-ranked side, slipped to second with 1,970.37 points after falling short in the final despite an impressive campaign.
France retained third place with 1,948.97 points, while England remained fourth on 1,922.83 points after defeating France 6-4 in a high-scoring placement match. Brazil climbed to fifth with 1,804.92 points despite suffering a surprise defeat to Norway late in the tournament.
Morocco continued their rise in world football, moving up to sixth with 1,803.99 points after reaching the quarter-finals. The Atlas Lions also strengthened their position as Africa’s highest-ranked national team.
Portugal occupy seventh place with 1,787.85 points, ahead of Belgium in eighth on 1,778.36 points and the Netherlands in ninth with 1,775.54 points.
Mexico completed the top 10 after climbing four places to 1,754.30 points, pushing Germany and Italy outside the leading group.
Germany dropped to 12th with 1,726.22 points, behind Colombia, who moved into 11th on 1,739.89 points. Croatia sit 13th with 1,723.05 points.
Switzerland occupy 14th place, while Italy slipped to 15th with 1,704.73 points. The United States are 16th.
Japan are ranked 17th, followed by Senegal in 18th, Norway in 19th and Uruguay in 20th.
Norway recorded one of the biggest gains in the rankings after climbing 12 places, helped by a memorable victory over Brazil during the tournament.
In Africa, Egypt overtook Nigeria after reaching the Round of 16, where they narrowly lost to Argentina. Nigeria remained 26th in the global rankings but dropped to fourth among African nations.
The updated rankings will remain in effect until FIFA releases its next official rankings on October 7, 2026.
