Spain go back to the top of FIFA rankings, Morocco reach record high

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing Reuters, reported that Spain have returned to No. 1 in the FIFA men’s rankings after winning the World Cup, moving ahead of Argentina, who fell to second. The update followed Spain’s 1-0 extra-time victory over the 2022 champions on Sunday. It marks the first time since January that Luis de la Fuente’s team have held the top position.

France stayed third and England remained fourth, even though Thomas Tuchel’s England side defeated France to take the bronze medal. Brazil moved up to fifth, while Morocco reached the highest ranking in their history at sixth. Portugal dropped two places to seventh after going out in the World Cup Round of 16, with Belgium rising to eighth and the Netherlands slipping to ninth.

Mexico gained four places to enter the top 10. Norway recorded the largest rise in the latest table, climbing 12 positions to 19th after a run to the World Cup quarterfinals. Germany dropped out of the top 10 and now sit 12th, just above Croatia. Italy, who did not qualify for the tournament, fell to 15th.

The report also noted several significant moves outside the top tier. Tunisia had the steepest decline, falling 12 places to 57th. Egypt advanced five spots to 24th, and Paraguay rose seven places to 34th after reaching the last 16. Cabo Verde, who made the Round of 32, moved up to 64th, while Ghana climbed eight places to 65th.