Spain reclaim No. 1 spot in FIFA rankings after 2026 World Cup triumph
Talha Javed:
Lahore:
Spain’s victory at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has propelled La Roja back to the top of the FIFA men’s world rankings, ending Argentina’s reign as the world’s highest-ranked team.
The latest rankings, released after the World Cup, also saw Türkiye fall five places, while Norway emerged as the tournament’s biggest climber.
FIFA released its latest men’s world rankings following the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Spain climbing one place to reclaim the No. 1 position.
Spain earned 1,995 ranking points after defeating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the World Cup final on July 19, completing a remarkable run that followed its UEFA Euro 2024 triumph.
The latest rankings mark Spain’s return to the top for the first time since January, with the European champions now sitting 25 points ahead of second-placed Argentina.
Argentina, which entered the tournament as defending world champion and the world’s top-ranked team, dropped to second with 1,970 points after finishing as World Cup runner-up.
Top five dominated by football’s biggest nations
France retained third place with 1,948 points, despite losing to England in the World Cup third-place playoff. England remained fourth on 1,922 points, while Brazil climbed one place to fifth with 1,804 points.
Morocco continued its rise in international football, reaching a record-high sixth place, while Portugal dropped two positions to seventh following its Round of 16 exit.
Belgium climbed to eighth, overtaking the Netherlands, which slipped to ninth.
Mexico broke into the top 10 after an impressive World Cup campaign on home soil.
The latest top 20 FIFA rankings are:
- Spain (+1)
- Argentina (-1)
- France (No change)
- England (No change)
- Brazil (+1)
- Morocco (+1)
- Portugal (-2)
- Belgium (+1)
- Netherlands (-1)
- Mexico (+4)
- Colombia (+2)
- Germany (-2)
- Croatia (-1)
- Switzerland (+5)
- Italy
- United States (+1)
- Japan (+1)
- Senegal (-3)
- Norway (+12)
- Uruguay (-4)
World Cup final standings released
Alongside the updated FIFA rankings, the governing body also published the official final standings for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which differ from the overall world rankings.
Spain finished as world champion after defeating Argentina in the final, while Argentina secured second place.
England claimed third place after winning the third-place playoff against France, leaving Les Bleus in fourth.
Norway emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest surprises by finishing fifth, followed by Belgium in sixth.
Morocco and Switzerland shared seventh place.
Among the tournament hosts, Mexico finished ninth, while Colombia rounded out the top 10.
Brazil placed 11th, followed by the United States in 12th, Portugal in 13th, and Canada in 14th, all finishing below pre-tournament expectations.
The Netherlands ended the tournament in 17th place after being eliminated by Morocco, while Germany finished 18th after its Round of 16 defeat to Paraguay.
Türkiye completed the expanded 48-team World Cup in 35th place, finishing behind South Korea but ahead of Scotland and Uruguay.
Bottom of World Cup standings
At the other end of the table, Qatar finished 41st after earning one point during the group stage.
Curacao placed 42nd in its first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance.
Panama, which failed to collect a point, finished 43rd.
Jordan placed 44th, followed by Haiti in 45th, Uzbekistan in 46th, Tunisia in 47th, and Iraq at the bottom in 48th place.
The latest rankings featured several major movers following the World Cup. Norway climbed 12 places to 19th, the biggest improvement among all national teams after reaching the World Cup quarter-finals.
Tunisia recorded the biggest drop, falling 12 places to 57th after losing all three group-stage matches.
Elsewhere, Egypt climbed five places to 24th, while Paraguay moved up seven spots to 34th after reaching the Round of 16.
Cabo Verde rose three places to 64th after advancing to the Round of 32, finishing one place ahead of Ghana, which climbed eight positions.
FIFA rankings remain key to future tournaments
FIFA updates its men’s world rankings regularly based on international match results.
The rankings play a crucial role in determining seedings for future World Cup qualifiers and other major international tournaments.
Spain’s achievement of winning both the UEFA European Championship in 2024 and the 2026 FIFA World Cup within two years has firmly established La Roja as the world’s highest-ranked men’s national team.
