FIFA’s world rankings have recently been given more weight following the 2026 World Cup. For the first time, FIFA guaranteed that the top four seeds would not meet until the semifinals (assuming they won their groups). With this new format in place, all top four seeds managed to reach the semifinals of the tournament.
The system for the rankings is affected by every game, with the strength of the opponent and the game’s importance being factors. With 104 games this summer, rankings constantly changed throughout the tournament.
Ranking Changes: Pre and Post World Cup
| Nation | FIFA World Ranking Pre-World Cup (June 11) | FIFA World Ranking Post-World Cup | Rankings Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Spain | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Argentina | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| England | 4 | 4 | – |
| Portugal | 5 | 7 | -2 |
| Brazil | 6 | 5 | +1 |
| Netherlands | 7 | 9 | -2 |
| Morocco | 8 | 6 | +2 |
| Belgium | 9 | 8 | +1 |
| Germany | 10 | 12 | -2 |
| Croatia | 11 | 13 | -2 |
| Colombia | 13 | 11 | +2 |
| Senegal | 14 | 18 | -4 |
| Mexico | 15 | 10 | +5 |
| USA | 16 | 16 | – |
| Uruguay | 17 | 20 | -3 |
| Japan | 18 | 17 | +1 |
| Switzerland | 19 | 14 | +5 |
| Iran | 21 | 22 | -1 |
| Türkiye | 22 | 27 | -5 |
| Ecuador | 23 | 25 | -2 |
| Austria | 24 | 23 | +1 |
| South Korea | 25 | 32 | -7 |
| Australia | 27 | 28 | -1 |
| Algeria | 28 | 29 | -1 |
| Egypt | 29 | 24 | +5 |
| Canada | 30 | 30 | – |
| Norway | 31 | 19 | +12 |
| Panama | 33 | 44 | -11 |
| Côte d’Ivoire | 34 | 31 | +3 |
| Sweden | 38 | 37 | +1 |
| Paraguay | 40 | 34 | +6 |
| Czechia | 41 | 48 | -7 |
| Scotland | 43 | 42 | +1 |
| Tunisia | 44 | 57 | -13 |
| DR Congo | 46 | 41 | +5 |
| Uzbekistan | 50 | 60 | -10 |
| Qatar | 55 | 59 | -4 |
| Iraq | 57 | 63 | -6 |
| South Africa | 60 | 54 | +6 |
| Saudi Arabia | 61 | 58 | +3 |
| Jordan | 63 | 73 | -10 |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 65 | 61 | +4 |
| Cabo Verde | 69 | 64 | +5 |
| Ghana | 74 | 65 | +9 |
| Curaçao | 82 | 82 | – |
| Haiti | 83 | 88 | -5 |
| New Zealand | 85 | 86 | -1 |
The biggest changes from the World Cup
Spain moved to first in the World Rankings following their World Cup win, leaping France, who dropped to third following their semifinal exit. Argentina has moved up to second, while England remains in fourth, maintaining the same teams as the top four seeds.
The only changes to the top 10 were Germany’s exit and Mexico’s arrival. Germany, who entered the tournament as 10th in the world rankings, dropped down to 12th following their Round of 32 exit. Mexico, who won all three group stages and lost in the Round of 16, moved up from 15th to 10th.
The biggest jump for a nation was Norway, who moved up from 31st to 19th following their historic run to the quarterfinals. The team that dropped the most was Tunisia, who fell from 44th to 57th following their three defeats in the group stage.
The next international break is a combined mega-window running from September 21 to October 6, 2026, with teams expected to play up to four matches in the new three-week window.
