Spain jumps to 1st over Argentina, USA drops to 16th
- Spain has taken over the top spot in the FIFA World Rankings after a dominant performance during the September international break, pushing 2022 FIFA World Cup champions Argentina down to third.
- The rankings, which track a nation's performance over time, also show France moving up one spot to second and Brazil falling one spot to sixth.
- The United States Men's National Team (USMNT) fell one spot to 16th overall after a World Cup qualifying loss.
The latest round of FIFA Men's World Rankings has been updated following a series of crucial World Cup qualifiers. With Argentina dominating the #1 spot since April 2023, there have now been some significant shifts at the top.
What is the FIFA Men's World Ranking system?
The FIFA World Rankings system is based on an Elo calculation method called "SUM," which adds or subtracts points from a team's total after each match. The amount of points gained or lost is determined by the result of the match, the relative strength of the two teams and the importance of the match.
For example, a win in a World Cup Final match is worth more points than a win in a friendly match. The system was designed to be intuitive and fair, giving all teams an equal opportunity to ascend the rankings regardless of their confederation. A key feature of the formula is that a team will not lose points for a loss in the knockout round of a final competition.
The rankings are a global measure of a team's performance, but they do not guarantee World Cup qualification. Italy, ranked 10th in the world, is in danger of missing the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time after a poor start to the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, including a heavy 3-0 defeat to Norway.
Biggest changes in the rankings
Spain has leapfrogged France and Argentina to claim the number one ranking, while the former world champions have fallen to third. During the recent international break, Spain beat Bulgaria 3-0 after defeating Turkey 6-0, featuring incredible performances by Spanish central midfielder Mikel Merino across both games.
Spain took over the top spot in the FIFA World Rankings after gaining over eight points in the recent match window.
France also moved up one spot to second, while Argentina, despite its strong performance during the World Cup, has fallen two spots to third. Brazil also dropped one spot to sixth.
During the September international break, France defeated Ukraine 2-0 and beat Iceland 2-1. French captain Kylian Mbappé scored in both games.
Argentina lost 1-0 to Ecuador but beat Venezuela 3-0 during the break. The loss saw them drop into 3rd overall.
Here is a look at the Top10 teams in the FIFA World Rankings (As of Sept. 2025):
FIFA world rankings
| Rank ↑↓ |
Team | Current Point | Prev. Point | Prev. Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (↑1) |  Spain (ESP) |
1,875.37 (+8.28)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,867
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
2 |
| 2 (↑1) |  France (FRA) |
1,870.92 (+8.89)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,862
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
3 |
| 3 (↓2) |  Argentina (ARG) |
1,870.32 (-15.04)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,885
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
1 |
| 4 |  England (ENG) |
1,820.45 (+7.13)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,813
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
4 |
| 5 (↑1) |  Portugal (POR) |
1,779.55 (+9.02)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,771
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
6 |
| 6 (↓1) |  Brazil (BRA) |
1,761.60 (-16.09)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,778
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
5 |
| 7 |  Netherlands (NED) |
1,754.17 (-4.01)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,758
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
7 |
| 8 |  Belgium (BEL) |
1,739.54 (+3.16)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,736
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
8 |
| 9 (↑1) |  Croatia (CRO) |
1,714.20 (+6.69)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,708
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
10 |
| 10 (↑1) |  Italy (ITA) |
1,710.07 (+7.49)
09 Jul 2025 -18 Sep 2025, 07:00
|
1,703
02 Apr 2025 - 09 Jul 2025
|
11 |
