Spain's FIFA World Cup triumph has led to La Roja returning to the top of the FIFA men's world rankings, ending Argentina's reign following the 2026 tournament. Spain climbed to No. 1 after defeating defending champions Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final at the New York-New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. Ferran Torres proved to be the difference, finding the net in extra time to secure the nation's second World Cup title and their first since lifting the trophy in 2010.
Argentina's defeat saw the La Albiceleste relinquish both the World Cup crown and the top spot in the rankings, with Lionel Messi's side dropping to second. France remain third despite finishing fourth at the tournament, while England retained their fourth place after defeating Les Bleus 6-4 in the third-place playoff.
Brazil returned to the top five, moving up one position to fifth after Portugal slipped to seventh in the latest standings. Cristiano Ronaldo's side endured a disappointing fall following the World Cup, losing to Spain in the Round of 16.
Morocco continued its steady rise on the global stage by achieving its highest-ever FIFA ranking of sixth. The Atlas Lions backed up their historic semifinal appearance at the 2022 World Cup with another impressive campaign in 2026, eliminating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout in the Round of 32 before their run ended against France in the quarterfinals.
Germany pay the price
{{/usCountry}}Morocco continued its steady rise on the global stage by achieving its highest-ever FIFA ranking of sixth. The Atlas Lions backed up their historic semifinal appearance at the 2022 World Cup with another impressive campaign in 2026, eliminating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout in the Round of 32 before their run ended against France in the quarterfinals.
Germany pay the price
{{/usCountry}}Germany, meanwhile, paid the price for an underwhelming World Cup performance. The four-time champions slipped from 10th to 12th after suffering a penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay in the Round of 32. Norway emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the updated rankings after enjoying its best World Cup campaign in nearly three decades.
Making their first appearance at the tournament in 28 years, Erling Haaland's side reached the quarterfinals before falling 2-1 to England. Their impressive run earned the Norwegians a 12-place leap to 19th in the world rankings.
Elsewhere, World Cup co-hosts Mexico and Switzerland also recorded notable progress, with both nations climbing five places in the latest FIFA standings.
Italy, which failed to qualify for the 48-team FIFA World Cup, also dropped three spots and is now ranked 15th in the latest rankings.
Here are the top 20-ranked teams as of July 21
1. Spain
2. Argentina
3. France
4. England
5. Brazil
6. Morocco
7. Portugal
8. Belgium
9. Netherlands
10. Mexico
11. Colombia
12. Germany
13. Croatia
14. Switzerland
15. Italy
16. USA
17. Japan
18. Senegal
19. Norway
20. Uruguay