World champions Argentina remain out ahead in FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking
Mexicans also have top 10 in sight after claiming Concacaf Gold Cup glory
Continental quarter-finalists Costa Rica are the biggest climbers
The last few months have seen some awe-inspiring football action, including on the international stage with FIFA World Cup 26™ qualifiers, confederation showpieces and a number of friendly matches. More than 200 relevant national-team encounters have been contested around the world since the last edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking was released, and those fixtures have made their mark on the standings.
The changes start at the top end, with Croatia climbing one place to return to the top 10 at the expense of Italy (11th, down 2). For their part, Portugal (6th, up 1) and the Netherlands (7th, down 1) have swapped places, while eighth-placed Belgium have not budged but now have Germany (9th, up 1) looming ominously behind them. There is no movement at the summit, however. FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ winners Argentina remain in pole position, with Spain (2nd) and France (3rd) still their closest challengers and England and Brazil continuing to round off the top five in that order.
Although both Concacaf Gold Cup finalists are upwardly mobile, champions Mexico (13th, up 4) have leapfrogged beaten finalists the United States (15th, up 1), to become the region’s best-ranked team. Meanwhile, Senegal (18th, up 1) have cemented their berth in the top 20, as have Switzerland (19th, also up 1).
Several teams have climbed five places, including Norway (now 33rd), Paraguay (43rd), North Macedonia (62nd) and Zambia (83rd), but they are eclipsed by Costa Rica (40th, up 14): this edition’s biggest climbers in terms of places. Whereas Los Ticos graced the last eight at the Gold Cup, the two losing semi-finalists at the Concacaf showpiece, Honduras (66th, up 9) and Guatemala (100th, up 6), have also made significant strides because of their fine runs.
Asia is no stranger to spectacular surges, either, with Indonesia (118th, up 5), Malaysia (125th, up 6), Hong Kong, China (147th, up 6) and Laos (185th, up 5) leading the way. Even greater advances have been recorded by Bermuda (162nd, up 6) and Grenada (167th, up 7).
| Leader | Argentina (unchanged) |
| Moves into top 10 | Croatia (10, plus 1) |
| Moves out of top 10 | Italy (11, minus 2) |
| Matches played in total | 202 |
| Most matches played | Mexico, USA (8 matches each) |
| Biggest move by points | Honduras (up 46.33 points) |
| Biggest move by ranks | Costa Rica (up 14 ranks) |
| Biggest drop by points | Haiti (down 30.11 points) |
| Biggest drop by ranks | Congo, Haiti, Jamaica, Maldives (down 7 ranks each) |
| Newly ranked teams | none |
| Teams that are no longer ranked | none |
| Inactive teams, not ranked | Eritrea |
Finally, Canada (28th, up 2) and Kosovo (95th, also up 2) deserve a special mention. Having previously hit new heights back in April, both have built on that achievement and are once again sitting pretty in their highest-ever position.
The full ranking can be found on Inside FIFA.
The next edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking will be published on 18 September 2025.