September 18 – Spain have returned to the summit of the FIFA Men’s World Ranking for the first time in more than a decade.
The last time Spain held first place was June 2014, during the tail end of their golden era which saw them pick up two Euros titles and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012.
The shift ends Argentina’s seemingly bulletproof reign as world number one. Lionel Scaloni’s side, who had been unshakable since winning the World Cup in December 2022, drop to third following a disappointing 1-1 draw with Ecuador in World Cup qualifying.
France, runners-up to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final, move into second as the top three tightens up.
England have remained in a distant fourth but still stay 41 points ahead of Portugal, who rose into the top five following back-to-back wins over Armenia and Hungary.
Brazil have slipped to sixth, punished for an inconsistent run which was ended with a 1-0 loss to Bolivia. Germany were the big losers: a 2-0 defeat away to Slovakia left Julian Nagelsmann’s team outside the top ten for the first time since October 2024, falling to 12th.
Thanks to Germany’s shortcomings, Croatia and Italy have both edged forward, to ninth and tenth respectively.
Morocco (11th) now lead the chasing pack after eight wins in their last nine games. With AFCON looming on home soil, they’re the firm favourites to lift it.
Slovakia’s win over Germany capped a strong start to qualifying and saw them climb ten places to 42nd – the biggest jump of this update.
Other movers include Paraguay (+6 to 37th), Uganda (+6 to 82nd), Madagascar (+7 to 108th) and The Gambia (+8 to 115th).
Canada, who will co-host the 2026 World Cup next summer, have reached an all-time high of 26th after beating Wales and Romania. Mexico (14th) and USA (16th) both fell by a place each, narrowing the gap between the three hosts just in time for the world’s greatest competition.
To see the full ranking, click here.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]