Portugal Surges to 5th in FIFA Rankings Despite Ronaldo Drama
Portugal have moved up 2 places to 5th in the latest FIFA rankings, overtaking Brazil and Morocco after 338 internationals since the 2026 World Cup. Spain remains 1st, followed by Argentina and France. Switzerland climbed to 12th, while Mali and South Africa entered the top 50 after rising 6 places.
In the latest FIFA Men’s World Ranking, Portugal has made a strong jump despite the recent controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo, moving up 2 places to 5th. The rise came after a busy international period in which 338 men’s matches were played since the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended on July 19. Spain continues to lead the rankings after winning the World Cup, while Argentina remains 2nd, almost 40 points behind the leaders.
France holds 3rd place. Portugal’s rise pushed Brazil down to 6th and Morocco to 7th. The Portuguese side has also started its UEFA Nations League campaign strongly, winning all 4 of its matches so far. Switzerland has also climbed 2 places to 12th, moving ahead of Germany and Croatia, who slipped to 13th and 14th respectively. African teams were among the biggest movers in the latest update. Mali and South Africa both climbed 6 places to reach 47th and 48th.
Greece moved up 5 places to 41st after going 4 matches unbeaten. CAF now has 10 teams inside the top 50, while UEFA has 24 and CONMEBOL has 8. Further down, Rwanda rose 9 places to 119th, while Guinea-Bissau climbed 8 places to 124th. The Gambia moved up 7 spots to 109th, highlighting the major changes across the latest rankings.