FIFA Men’s Top 50 World Rankings – February 2026 update | OneFootball

There have been several eye-catching changes to the FIFA Men’s World Rankings, particularly after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco.

While teams at the top of the rankings have retained their positions, the recently concluded AFCON has shaken up proceedings further down the standings.

International football will resume during the March 2026 international break, with UEFA nations competing in the play-offs to bolster their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.

Without further ado, let’s review the latest world rankings.

The top five teams in the 2026 FIFA rankings

Spain are still setting the pace at the summit. The European champions ended last year as the world’s highest-ranked side for the first time since 2013.

It’s only the seventh time in their history that they finished a calendar year at the top of the ranking, a record only bettered by Brazil, who have done so 13 times.

Luis de la Fuente’s side have been the most consistent nation in recent times. La Roja went unbeaten in 2025 in normal time, winning six of their ten fixtures across all competitions (D4).

The only blemish in their otherwise perfect record was the 5-3 defeat to Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final following an enthralling 2-2 draw.

Spain also came close to posting a perfect record in the World Cup qualifiers. They won five of their six group stage fixtures (D1), but Turkey held them to a 2-2 draw in the final game.

La Roja’s recent performances have kept them at the top, with Argentina, France, England and Brazil behind them in the top five.

Argentina were also near-unstoppable during the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

The reigning world champions won 12 of their 18 games (D2, L4) to secure their spot in the World Cup with a healthy nine-point lead over second-place Ecuador.

Brazil finished fifth, winning two of their final five qualifying games (D1, L2).

Meanwhile, France and England also punched their ticket to the World Cup as group winners and are heavily tipped to dethrone Argentina in North America.

Morocco and Senegal make history after fiery AFCON final

The biggest headline of the latest FIFA ranking came in Africa, with AFCON finalists Morocco and Senegal making huge jumps following the continental showpiece.

Despite failing to land the continental holy grail on home turf, Morocco are ranked eighth in the world.

They climbed three places to reach that spot, marking their highest-ever placement and the first time they have entered the top ten in nearly three decades.

Morocco’s phenomenal achievement came at the expense of Belgium, Croatia and Germany, who each slipped down one spot in the rankings.

Newly crowned African champions Senegal jumped seven places from 19th to 12th, marking their highest-ever placement.

The ripple effect of the AFCON tournament went beyond the finalists, with Nigeria climbing 12 places to 26th after clinching the bronze medal.

Quarter-finalists Cameroon also jumped 12 spots to reach 45th, marking another massive leap for an African nation.

Algeria climbed six places to 28th, semi-finalists Egypt moved up four to 31st, Ivory Coast rose five to 37th, and DR Congo advanced eight spots to 48th.

These movements mean there are now up to nine African nations in the top 50 – two more than the total at the end of 2025.

Here is the latest FIFA Men’s top 50 world rankings.