Headlines
Soccer-Spain return to top of FIFA rankings, Germany drop outside top 10
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 19, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 19, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Spain returns to the top of FIFA rankings after 11 years, while Germany falls out of the top 10. France moves to second, and Argentina drops to third.
(Reuters) - Euro 2024 champions Spain have climbed to the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in 11 years while Germany dropped out of the top 10, world soccer's governing body said.
France moved up to second in the latest rankings published on Thursday with reigning World Cup champions Argentina slipping to third after their 1-0 loss to Ecuador in 2026 qualifying.
Nations League winners Portugal climbed one spot to fifth.
Germany dropped outside the top 10 for the first time in almost a year after their defeat in Slovakia earlier this month.
Slovakia were the biggest movers, surging 10 places to 42nd.
TOP 10-RANKED NATIONS
1. Spain
2. France
3. Argentina
4. England
5. Portugal
6. Brazil
7. Netherlands
8. Belgium
9. Croatia
10. Italy
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
The FIFA ranking is a system used to rank national soccer teams based on their performance in international matches. It is updated periodically and reflects the teams' competitive strength.
A national soccer team represents a country in international competitions. These teams are composed of players selected from the country's domestic leagues and are governed by the national soccer federation.
The FIFA rankings are significant as they determine seedings for international tournaments and reflect a team's performance over time, influencing their reputation and sponsorship opportunities.
The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international soccer competition involving European national teams. It aims to provide more competitive matches and reduce the number of friendly games.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
