According to the September rankings just released by FIFA, Spain gained 8.28 points to reach 1,875.37, jumping from second place to the top. The reigning Euro champions' rise comes thanks to two victories: 3-0 against Bulgaria and 6-0 against Turkey in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers - European zone.
This is the first time Spain has topped the FIFA rankings since 6/2014.
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Nico Williams takes a shot during Spain's 6-0 victory over Turkey in a World Cup qualifier on 7/9. Photo: Reuters |
Nico Williams takes a shot during Spain's 6-0 victory over Turkey in a World Cup qualifier on 7/9. Photo: Reuters
France also moved up one spot to second place. With 2-0 and 2-1 wins over Ukraine and Iceland respectively, Kylian Mbappe and his teammates gained 8.89 points, reaching 1,870.92.
After losing 0-1 to Ecuador, ranked 25th last month, Argentina lost 15.04 points. The reigning World Cup champions not only lost the top spot but also fell to third. This is the first time Argentina has dropped from the top since 4/2023.
England remains in 4th place, while Portugal swapped places with Brazil to climb to 5th. Brazil lost its position due to a 0-1 loss against Bolivia, ranked 77th the previous month. The remaining spots in the top 10 belong to the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, and Italy, respectively. Germany dropped from 9th to 12th after losing 0-2 to Slovakia.
Morocco jumped one spot to 11th, becoming the highest-ranked African team. Japan, at 19th, is the highest-ranked Asian team.
FIFA will update the rankings two more times before November. Based on these rankings, the world football governing body will determine the seeded teams for the World Cup group stage draw on 5/12. 42 teams will have qualified by the time the draw takes place. FIFA will determine the remaining six spots through play-offs. Italy and Germany might have to participate in these play-offs due to their current struggles in the European qualifiers.
Vietnam dropped one spot to 114th due to inactivity since their 0-4 loss to Malaysia in June. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team can improve their ranking if they win against Nepal in two matches of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in October.
Thanh Quy (according to FIFA)
