FIFA rankings: Spain claim first place after World Cup triumph, Argentina second

Spain returned to the top of the FIFA men’s rankings on Monday, ousting Argentina after beating the defending champions 1-0 in an extra-time thriller to lift their second World Cup title.

Luis de la Fuente’s side climbed back to No.1 for the first time since January Ferran Torres’ long-range strike in New Jersey sealed Spain’s triumph on Sunday. Argentina, who entered the final as the best team, dropped to second place after the defeat.

France and England retained third and fourth place, despite their contrasting placements at the World Cup. England finished the tournament with a 6-4 win over France in the third-place play-off, securing Thomas Tuchel’s side fourth, while Les Bleus remained third.

Brazil climbed one place to fifth, while Morocco continued its steady rise to reach a record sixth place in the rankings. The Atlas Lions backed up another impressive World Cup campaign with their highest-ever FIFA rankings.

Portugal dropped two places to seventh after a round of 16 exit at the hands of eventual champions Spain. Belgium climbed to eighth, swapping places with the Netherlands, who dropped to ninth, while Mexico made it into the top 10 after moving up four places following their progress to the last eight.

Norway were the biggest of the leading nations, jumping 12 places to 19th after reaching the World Cup quarter-finals, their best performance at the tournament in a decade.

Germany paid the price for another underwhelming campaign, dropping out of the top 10 to 12th, one place behind Croatia. Failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive year, Italy dropped to 15th place.

Next in the ranking, Tunisia recorded the biggest drop, which fell 12 places to 57th place after exiting the group stage. Egypt climbed five places to 24th after their progress to the round of 16, while Paraguay moved up seven places to 34th as they also reached the knockout stages.

Cabo Verde’s fairytale World Cup campaign was reflected in the latest rankings, climbing three places to 64th after reaching the round of 32. Ghana also made significant gains, climbing eight places to 65th after advancing to the knockout stages.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

20 Jul 2026 21:23 IST