There have been some eye-catching changes to the FIFA men’s world rankings, especially following the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco.
While the top teams have regained their positions, the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations has completely changed the rankings.
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International football competitions will resume during the international break in March 2026, with UEFA national teams participating in play-offs to improve their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
It remains to be seen whether the results of these games will affect the current standings.
However, the top seven teams remain unchanged from the December update. Without further ado, let’s review the latest FIFA world rankings.
FIFA’s top five teams in 2026
Spain continues to lead the 2026 FIFA world rankings. Last year, the European champions became the highest-ranked team in the world for the first time since 2013.
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It is only the seventh time in their history that they have topped the table in a calendar year, a record that has only been surpassed by Brazil, who have done so 13 times.
Luis de la Fuente’s team has been the most consistent in recent years. Spain is unbeaten in normal time in 2025, winning six of 10 games in all competitions (4).
The only blemish on their otherwise perfect record was a 2-2 draw in the UEFA Nations League final before losing 5-3 to Portugal.
Spain also came close to achieving a perfect record in World Cup qualifying. They won five of the six games in the group stage (drawing one), with the only blemish being a 2-2 draw with Turkey in the final.
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The Spanish team’s recent performance has put them firmly at the top of the list, followed by Argentina, France, England and Brazil in the top five.
Argentina were also nearly unstoppable in South America’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
The defending champions have won 12 of 18 games (draw, draw) to secure their spot in the World Cup with a nine-point advantage over second-placed Ecuador.
Their arch-rivals Brazil sit fifth in the standings, having won two of their last five qualifying games (a draw, a draw).
At the same time, France and England also won the World Cup tickets as the first in the group and are very likely to defeat Argentina in North America.
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Morocco and Senegal make history in thrilling Africa Cup of Nations final
The biggest headlines so far in FIFA’s latest rankings have come from Africa, with Africa Cup of Nations finalists Morocco and Senegal making huge strides following their performances on the continent.
Although Morocco failed to claim the continental Holy Grail on home soil, it is ranked eighth in the world.
They moved up three spots to reach this position, their highest ever ranking and their first top ten appearance in nearly three decades.
Morocco’s stunning achievements came at the expense of Belgium, Croatia and Germany, with all three countries falling one place in the rankings.
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Meanwhile, newly crowned African champions Senegal moved up seven places from 19th to 12th, achieving their highest ever ranking.
The knock-on effects of the Africa Cup of Nations are not limited to the finalists, with Nigeria rising 12 places to 26th after winning bronze.
Cameroon, who reached the quarter-finals, also jumped 12 places to 45th, marking another huge leap for an African country.
Elsewhere on the continent, Algeria rises six places to 28th, semi-finalist Egypt rises four places to 31st, Côte d’Ivoire rises five places to 37th and the Democratic Republic of the Congo rises eight places to 48th.
The changes mean that as many as nine African countries are now in the top 50, two more than the total at the end of 2025.
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Here are the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings Top 50.