Latest FIFA rankings: Spain men’s team remains at the top, while Germany is among the top in the 2026 World Cup draw

Spain still tops the FIFA men’s world rankings published on Friday, which show Germany is back on track to become a top team in the December 5 World Cup final draw involving US President Donald Trump.

Germany rose two places to number 10 after back-to-back wins in a World Cup qualifying group against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland. Germany had lost its opening qualifier against Slovakia last month.

Croatia, runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and semi-finalists in the 2022 edition, fell to 11th after drawing with the Czech Republic last week.

The top 12 countries in the 48-team draw are the three co-hosts – the United States, Canada and Mexico – plus the nine highest-ranked direct qualifiers in the updated FIFA rankings for November.

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Current No. 9 Italy is likely to enter the European play-offs in March as second in a qualifying group led by Norway, meaning the No. 10-ranked team should be confident of avoiding other top-ranked countries in the draw for the June 11-July 19 tournament.

Spain leads from World Cup title holder Argentina, followed by number 3 France, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil and Belgium in eighth place.

The seedings for the World Cup draw follow the FIFA rankings through pots 2 and 3, with pot 4 comprising the six lowest-ranked direct qualifiers, plus six temporary holders awaiting the winners of the play-offs in March.

Four European teams will advance through the play-offs, with two places still available in a global group of six non-European teams, including Bolivia and New Caledonia.

Published on October 17, 2025