Archive · 7 Oct 2026
Portugal Climbs in FIFA Ranking as Spain Extends Lead
The FIFA men’s ranking changed after many countries played international football matches.
Spain stayed at the top, with Argentina in second place and France in third.
Portugal moved up to fifth and passed Brazil and Morocco.
Switzerland also climbed, reaching 12th place.
Mali and South Africa each moved up six places and entered the top 50.
African teams gained ground in the top-50 count.
The article says results in Nations League matches and Africa Cup of Nations qualifying helped drive many of the changes.
These rankings show how teams’ positions shifted after those games.
Spain remained first in the FIFA men’s ranking, nearly 40 points ahead of second-place Argentina.
Portugal rose two places to fifth, passing Brazil and Morocco; France stayed third.
Switzerland climbed two places to 12th, while Germany and Croatia each fell one place.
Mali and South Africa rose six places apiece to reach 47th and 48th, respectively.
CAF increased its top-50 representation to 10 teams, while UEFA had 24 and CONMEBOL had eight.
- Who
- National men's football teams, including Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Switzerland, Mali and South Africa.
- What
- The FIFA men's world ranking shifted after 338 international matches.
- When
- The ranking update followed matches played since the FIFA World Cup 2026 ended on 19 July; the article does not specify the ranking's publication date.
- Where
- International men's football; the article discusses teams across several confederations.
- Why
- Results in Nations League matches and Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying affected teams' ranking positions.
- Matches played
- 338 men's internationals since the World Cup ended on 19 July
- Top-ranked team
- Spain
- Second and third
- Argentina was second; France was third
- Portugal
- Fifth, up two places
- Switzerland
- 12th, up two places
- Top-50 teams by confederation
- CAF: 10; UEFA: 24; CONMEBOL: 8; AFC: 4; Concacaf: 4
- Biggest top-50 rises mentioned
- Mali and South Africa each rose six places