GENEVA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Spain returned to the top of the FIFA rankings on Monday after going unbeaten at the 2026 World Cup, where it won seven matches and drew one en route to its second world title.
FIFA said Spain collected 1,995.88 points to reclaim the No. 1 position, replacing Argentina, which dropped to second after losing 1-0 to Spain in the final after extra time.
Spain had previously held the top ranking before April.
France and England remained third and fourth, respectively, despite England defeating France 6-4 in the third-place playoff at the World Cup. There was significant movement elsewhere in the top 10 following the tournament.
Brazil climbed one place to fifth, while Morocco moved up one spot to sixth. Both benefited from Portugal's fall to seventh after the European side failed to reach the quarterfinals. Belgium moved above the Netherlands into eighth, while Mexico returned to the top 10 for the first time since March 2022.
Germany dropped out of the top 10 to 12th, with Colombia moving up to 11th. Switzerland made the biggest jump among the leading teams, rising five places to 14th, while Japan remained Asia's highest-ranked team at 17th.
A total of 105 matches were played during the latest ranking period, with 104 coming at the 2026 World Cup. ■
