Spain reclaims No. 1 in FIFA world rankings; USA slides

Spain has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the FIFA Men's World Ranking for the first time since 2014 in the latest rankings released on Thursday.

With more than 200 relevant national-team matches having been completed since the last update, there was significant movement within the top 50.

Reigning World Cup champion Argentina slid to No. 3 due to its 1-0 loss to Ecuador in the CONMEBOL Qualifiers on Sept. 8, with France moving up one spot to No. 2. While Argentina did beat Venezuela 3-0 on Sept. 3, France went 2-0 during the rankings update window. Argentina had occupied the top spot since April 2023.

The biggest shakeup in the top 10 was Germany's three-spot tumble to No. 12 after its 2-0 loss to Slovakia in the UEFA Qualifiers on Sept. 3. Germany is outside of the top 10 for the first time since October 2024. Meanwhile, Slovakia vaulted 10 spots to re-enter the Top 50 at No. 42.

FIFA MEN'S WORLD RANKINGS TOP 10

1. Spain

2. France

3. Argentina

4. England

5. Portugal

6. Brazil

7. Netherlands

8. Belgium

9. Croatia

10. Italy

Germany is now also behind No. 11 Morocco, whose only loss in nine matches since the most recent rankings release was a 1-0 defeat to Kenya in the African Nations Championship last month.

Canada moved up two spots to No. 26 with a pair of friendly wins over Romania and Wales this month. It has closed the gap further on its North American rivals, with the United States sliding one spot to No. 16. The USMNT followed a 2-1 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup in July with a 2-0 defeat to South Korea on Sept. 5 and a 2-0 win over Japan on Sept. 8.

Mexico, which has a pair of draws since the victory over the USMNT, also dropped one spot to No. 14.

The biggest drop was suffered by Zimbabwe, which fell nine spots to No. 125.

--Field Level Media