Spain have strengthened their grip on top spot in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking, with former long-term leaders Argentina back up to second and France dropping one place to third.
After a busy period of international football, featuring crucial FIFA World Cup 26™ qualifiers for several confederations and high-profile international friendlies, there has been some significant movement in the ranking. Read on for our full summary of the biggest movers and shakers following October’s update.
La Roja remain on top
Spain are still the team to catch at the top of the ranking and continued their progress towards World Cup qualification with successive wins over Georgia and Bulgaria. France are also well-placed to secure a ticket to the tournament in North America, but will have to wait a little longer as they followed up a 3-0 win over Azerbaijan with a 2-2 draw in Iceland.
World Cup holders Argentina, took advantage of Les Bleus’ slip by climbing back into second place with friendly successes against Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
Top ten shifts
Germany have reclaimed their place in the top 10 after a brief absence by climbing two places to 10th. Their resurgence comes at the expense of Croatia, who dropped two points in a qualifier for next year’s global showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the United States in a 0-0 draw with Czechia.
The Netherlands edged ahead of Brazil and into sixth place after back-to-back qualification victories over Malta and Finland, capitalising on the Seleção’s stumble in a friendly against Japan, where they suffered a 3-2 reverse after leading 2-0 in Tokyo.
CAF quartet learn their play-off opponents
The latest ranking was of particular interest to Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo DR and Gabon, who will contest the African play-offs for the CAF ticket to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament, with the semi-final fixtures decided by their respective October placings. Nigeria (41st) will face Gabon (77th), and Cameroon (54th) tackle Congo DR (60th) in November, with the winners of those ties meeting in the final.
Niger, Lesotho and Faroe Islands impress
The biggest gains came further down the standings. Niger (108th), Lesotho (144th) and the Faroe Islands (127th) have all climbed nine places. The latter’s impressive World Cup qualifying run, including a shock victory over Czechia (44th, down 5), has earned them a significant points haul.
Also making headway are Kosovo (84th, up 7), who have reached an historic high, as well as Syria (86th) and Liberia (138th), who have both climbed six places. At the other end, Greece (48th) and Sweden (40th) have both fallen eight places after losing their most recent qualifying matches.
