…Reigning world champions Argentina surge back into second spot
…Germany return to the top 10 after a brief absence
…Niger, Faroe Islands and Lesotho among biggest climbers
SAT OCT 18 2025-theGBJournal| Following a thrilling round of 173 national-team outings that included FIFA World Cup 26™ qualifiers across five continents, and a flurry of friendlies, the October 2025 edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking serves up several eye-catching changes.
Spain (1st) have strengthened their grip on top spot thanks to back-to-back victories, shoring up the position they seized in the previous instalment when they ended Argentina’s reign that stretched back to April 2023.
World champions Argentina (2nd, up 1), are hot on their heels, however. The Albiceleste have leapfrogged France (3rd, down 1) after Les Bleus were held to a costly 2-2 draw away to Iceland in the UEFA qualifying tournament.
Germany (10th, up 2) have reclaimed their place in the top 10 after a brief absence. Their resurgence comes at the expense of Croatia (11th, down 2), who dropped two points in a qualifier for next year’s global showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Elsewhere near the top of the ranking, the Netherlands (6th, up 1) edged ahead of Brazil (7th, down 1), capitalising on the Seleção’s stumble in a friendly against Japan.
Amongst the rest of the top 50, Hungary (37th, up 4), Scotland (38th, up 5), Nigeria (41st, up 4) and Romania (47th, up 4) have all reaped the rewards of recent purple patches.
Yet the biggest gains come further down the standings. Niger (108th), Lesotho (144th) and the Faroe Islands (127th) have all climbed nine places. The latter’s impressive FIFA World Cup 26 qualifying run, including a shock victory over Czechia (44th, down 5), has earned them a significant points haul.
Also making headway in this latest update are Kosovo (84th, up 7), who have reached a historic high, as well as Syria (86th) and Liberia (138th), who have both climbed six places.
At the other end, Greece (48th) and Sweden (40th) have both fallen eight places after losing their most recent qualifying matches.
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