Both Argentina and Brazil slipped in the FIFA men's world rankings as Spain became numero uno in the latest rankings released on Wednesday.
While Portugal overtook Brazil to become the fifth-ranked men's team in the world, defending champions Argentina now stand third behind Spain and France.
The latest rankings are released at a time when both Argentina and Brazil, traditional powerhouses of South American (CONMEBOL) football, faced strong competition in the World Cup qualifiers. Lionel Messi-led Argentina, however, finished stronger than five-time champions Brazil as they won the top spot with 38 points (12 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses; 31 goals scored, 10 conceded; goal difference +21).
Second-placed Ecuador got 29, a point more than third-placed Colombia. Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, and Paraguay all have the same points but are positioned in the order mentioned based on goal difference (Brazil have 8 wins, 4 draws, 6 losses; they’ve scored 24 goals, conceded 17; goal difference +7). The top six teams qualify directly for the World Cup while the seventh place goes into an inter-confederation playoff. Interestingly, while the two giants of the continent slipped, all the other four South American nations that managed to qualify for the FIFA 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the US improved their standing.
Ecuador improved one spot to move to 24th while Colombia moved up one spot to become the 13th-best footballing nation in the world. Uruguay jumped from 16th to 15th while Paraguay went past six competitors to take the 37th place.
Luis de la Fuente’s Spain deserves to be the top-ranked team as they remain on a 27-match unbeaten run—the second-longest in its history—and have not lost an official fixture since 23 March 2023. The European champions reportedly reclaimed the No. 1 spot after 11 long years.