Spain expands FIFA ranking lead to 38 points as Portugal enters top five

Spain consolidates first place

FIFA released its latest world rankings on Wednesday following an international window comprising 338 matches across the globe. World champion Spain maintained its grip on first place, accumulating 2,011.57 points to extend its margin over second-placed Argentina to 38.77 points. Manager Luis de la Fuente guided the Spanish side to four consecutive UEFA Nations League wins, securing early qualification for the quarter-finals. The run featured a 3-2 victory against England at Wembley, a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic in Oviedo, and two victories against Croatia, 4-1 in Seville and 2-1 in Split. In Split, Spain overturned an early goal by Ivan Perišić behind a second-half brace from Mikel Merino, extending the team's unbeaten streak to 43 consecutive matches dating back to a friendly defeat against Colombia in March 2024.

Portugal breaks into the top five

Portugal registered the only upward movement within the top ten, climbing two places to fifth with 1,807.69 points. Under manager Jorge Jesus, who replaced Roberto Martínez after the World Cup, the Portuguese squad qualified for the Nations League quarter-finals with four straight victories in Group A4. Portugal defeated Wales 1-0 in Lisbon, beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen, and recorded two 2-1 wins over Norway in Oslo and Porto. The climb allowed Portugal to edge past Brazil, which fell to sixth on 1,806.51 points, and Morocco, which slipped to seventh on 1,805.34 points, with just 2.35 points separating the three nations. Both Brazil and Morocco dropped after recording draws in friendly fixtures during the window.

Shifts across the top twenty

The podium behind Spain remained unchanged, with Argentina holding second place on 1,972.80 points and France sitting third on 1,958.86 points in Zinedine Zidane's managerial debut. Argentina won three matches during the window, defeating Bolivia 4-0, Burkina Faso 7-0, and Benin 3-0 in Lionel Messi's final international appearance. England retained fourth place on 1,925.59 points, followed by Belgium in eighth on 1,779.17 points, the Netherlands in ninth on 1,778.61 points, and Mexico in tenth on 1,738.48 points under coach Rafa Márquez. Colombia sits eleventh on 1,735.80 points after defeating Peru 2-0. Switzerland rose two spots to twelfth on 1,725.39 points, passing Jürgen Klopp's Germany in thirteenth on 1,717.52 points and Slaven Bilić's Croatia in fourteenth on 1,714.74 points.

Movers across global confederations

Italy held onto fifteenth place, while the United States remained sixteenth despite winning all four of its international fixtures against Peru (4-1), Chile (4-2), Mexico (3-0), and Canada (1-0). Diego Forlán's Uruguay stayed twentieth on 1,635.54 points after a 6-1 victory over India. Greece climbed five places to 41st following four consecutive positive results, while African sides Mali and South Africa each gained six spots to reach 47th and 48th, respectively. Rwanda emerged as the largest climber in the global ranking, jumping nine places to 119th after defeating Cape Verde 2-1 in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on 29 September. Conversely, Sierra Leone was the biggest faller, dropping eight places to 130th after two qualifying losses. The next FIFA ranking update is scheduled for 18 November 2026.