NEWLY crowned world champions Spain have returned to the summit of the FIFA men’s rankings, replacing Argentina at the top, while Nigeria’s Super Eagles retained their 26th position globally but slipped to fourth place among African nations.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that the latest rankings released by FIFA on Monday reflected the impact of the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Spain reclaiming the number one spot after edging Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final in New York.
La Roja, who had surrendered top spot in April, surged back to the summit following their triumph over the South Americans, who dropped to second place after failing to defend their world title.
France, who suffered a dramatic 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place playoff in the United States, occupy third place in the latest standings, while England moved up to fourth position.
Brazil climbed one place to fifth, while Morocco also gained a spot to move into sixth position in the world, overtaking Portugal, who slipped two places to seventh after being eliminated in the round of 16 by the eventual champions.
Quarter-finalists Belgium rose one place to eighth, leapfrogging their neighbours, the Netherlands, who dropped to ninth. Co-hosts Mexico surged four places to return to the top 10 for the first time since March 2022, displacing Germany, who fell two places to 12th after their World Cup exit at the hands of Paraguay.
Two of the tournament’s surprise packages recorded some of the biggest jumps in the rankings. Switzerland climbed five places to 14th following their run to the quarter-finals, while Norway enjoyed a remarkable rise of 12 spots to 19th after matching the Swiss feat.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Super Eagles maintained their 26th-place position in the world rankings despite their 2-1 defeat to Portugal in an international friendly in June.
With no competitive fixtures since then, the result had little effect on Nigeria’s standing in the global rankings.
However, although the three-time African champions held on to their position worldwide, they dropped to fourth place on the continent after being overtaken by Egypt.
The Pharaohs improved their African ranking following an impressive outing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they advanced to the Round of 16 before suffering a narrow 3-2 defeat to eventual runners-up Argentina.
Morocco continue to lead Africa’s rankings after their quarter-final finish at the World Cup. The Atlas Lions also strengthened their position globally, climbing from seventh to sixth in the world.
Senegal remain Africa’s second-highest-ranked team despite dropping three places in the global standings, while Algeria complete the continent’s top five after slipping one position worldwide.
Globally, Spain now sit atop the rankings following their World Cup success, with Argentina in second place. France, England and Brazil complete the top five teams in the world.
FIFA is expected to publish its next men’s world rankings on October 7, 2026.