Official: Italy plummet to new low of 12th in FIFA World Ranking | OneFootball

It is now official that Italy have plunged to 12th place in the FIFA World Ranking, their worst position since 2020, and could affect their status in the 2026 World Cup draw too.

The calculations had already looked bad for the Nazionale and their 4-1 home defeat to Norway sent them plummeting down three places from October’s tally.

They fell out of the top 10 and are now in 12th position, behind Morocco and Croatia, in the updated FIFA release.

Italy slide can affect 2026 World Cup draw

BERGAMO – SEPTEMBER 05: Coach Gennaro Gattuso of Italy gesture during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Estonia at Stadio di Bergamo on September 05, 2025 in Bergamo. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

Not only is this their worst placement since hitting 13th in 2020, it can also affect their progress if they get through the play-offs and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Under the current rules, the Nazionale would not be top seeds for the draw for the final tournament group stage, which is planned for December 5.

They’d be in Pot 4 along with the others going through the UEFA play-offs and could therefore face a tougher draw in the competition.

BERLIN – JULY 9: General view of the World Cup trophy prior to the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Final match between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium on July 9, 2006 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

As the play-offs won’t be until March 2026, obviously the draw will include stopgaps for the teams who qualify via this route.

There had been reports that FIFA could reshuffle the parameters for the draw to favour those teams in the play-offs with a higher ranking, but if Italy are out of the top 10, it might not affect them anyway.

FIFA have not yet formally confirmed the seeding parameters for the draw, so it is all just speculation at this stage.

They will discover their opponents in the play-off semi-final and potential final games in the draw on Thursday, November 20.

MILAN – NOVEMBER 16: Pio Esposito of Italy celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Norway at San Siro Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Milan. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

FIFA World Ranking November 2025

1 Spain

2 Argentina

3 France

4 England

5 Brazil

6 Portugal

7 Netherlands

8 Belgium

9 Germany

10 Croatia

11 Morocco

12 Italy

13 Colombia

14 USA

15 Mexico