Islamabad (Sports Desk): Spain (1st) have strengthened their grip on top spot thanks to back-to-back victories, shoring up the position they ended Argentina’s reign that stretched back to April 2023.
World champions Argentina (2nd, up 1), are hot on their heels, however.
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 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.
Leaders Spain (unchanged)
Moves into top 10 Germany (10th, up 2)
Moves out of top 10 Croatia (11th, down 2)
Matches played in total 173
Most matches played 168 teams (3 matches each)
Biggest move by points Faroe Islands (up 37.95 points)
Biggest move by ranks Faroe Islands, Lesotho and Niger (up 9 ranks each)
Biggest drop by points Sweden (down 27.63 points)
Biggest drop by ranks Greece and Sweden (down 8 ranks each)
Newly ranked teams None
Teams that are no longer ranked None
Inactive teams, not ranked Eritrea
