Latest FIFA Rankings: Argentina Remains Behind, Portugal Sees Opportunity

Argentina continues to trail Spain, and Portugal also has to wait for their chance to climb the FIFA ranking ladder.

FIFA released the newest updated rankings on January 19, 2026. There were not many changes among the top teams.

Spain Holds Firm at the Top

Since there were no international breaks in January, the top group’s rankings remained almost unchanged. Spain did not play any matches, maintaining 1877.18 points and staying number one in the world.

Argentina Closely Follows

Argentina ranks second with 1873.33 points, less than 4 points behind Spain. The reigning world champions have not improved their score due to inactivity in recent matches, preventing them from overtaking Spain.

Top Positions Stable, Opportunity to Break Through

France holds third place, while major teams like England, Brazil, Portugal, and the Netherlands have maintained their rankings due to inactivity. However, these teams still have ample chances to improve soon.

The most notable among them is Portugal; Ronaldo and his teammates are just 0.8 points behind Brazil’s 5th place. However, they trail England by 73.74 points, meaning the “European Seleção” must work hard to close the gap.

The Rise of African Representatives

The most remarkable highlight in the top 10 is Morocco. Thanks to their impressive performance at AFCON 2026, the “Atlas Lions” climbed 3 spots from 11th to 8th, gaining an additional 20.23 points to reach 1736.57 points. Morocco’s rise pushed Croatia out of the top 10.

Africa Accelerates Strongly

AFCON helped African teams become the most improved region this cycle. Nigeria showed the fastest progress, jumping 12 places from 38th to 26th by winning 6 of 7 matches in January and accumulating 79.09 points, the highest increase of the month. Cameroon also made a similar leap, climbing 12 spots from 57th to 45th.

Next Update Schedule

National teams will continue their break until FIFA Days resume in March. FIFA Rankings The next update is expected to be released on April 1, 2026, when the competition among the top teams will likely intensify as matches resume.