Spain top FIFA rankings after World Cup glory as Argentina slip
Spain have climbed to the summit of the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings following their triumph at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
The rankings, updated on Monday, July 20, reflect major changes after the tournament, with Spain replacing Argentina as the world’s top-ranked team after edging the defending champions 1-0 after extra time in the final in New Jersey.
Ferran Torres’ decisive 106th-minute goal secured Spain’s second FIFA World Cup title and earned La Roja a significant rankings boost, taking them to 1,995.88 points and the No. 1 position.
Argentina, who began the tournament as the world’s highest-ranked side, dropped to second place on 1,970.37 points after their defeat in the final.
France retained third place with 1,948.97 points despite losing 6-4 to England in a placement match, while England remained fourth after gaining valuable ranking points from the victory. Brazil moved up to fifth with 1,804.92 points despite suffering a surprise defeat to Norway.
Morocco continued their rise in world football, climbing to sixth with 1,803.99 points after reaching the World Cup quarter-finals. The Atlas Lions also strengthened their position as Africa’s highest-ranked team.
Portugal sit seventh on 1,787.85 points, narrowly ahead of Belgium (1,778.36) and the Netherlands (1,775.54), while Mexico broke into the top 10 after climbing four places to 10th with 1,754.30 points.
Germany slipped to 12th with 1,726.22 points, while Italy dropped to 15th on 1,704.73 points following the post-World Cup recalculations. Colombia occupy 11th place, with Croatia in 13th.
Egypt overtook Nigeria in Africa after an impressive run to the Round of 16. Nigeria remained 26th globally but fell to fourth on the continent, while Egypt moved ahead thanks to their strong World Cup campaign.
Japan finished 17th to remain Asia’s highest-ranked nation, Senegal dropped to 18th, Norway surged 12 places to 19th after a memorable tournament, and Uruguay completed the top 20.
The updated rankings will remain in effect until FIFA’s next official rankings release on October 7, 2026.
