FIFA ranking: Morocco still Africa’s best as Atlas Lions fall to seventh

Morocco remain the highest-ranked African national team in the latest FIFA world rankings despite dropping one place to seventh globally.

The Atlas Lions have 1,805.34 points in the October ranking after recording two victories in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and drawing one friendly match.

Morocco’s fall in the global standings was largely influenced by Portugal’s rise. The European side climbed two places to fifth after winning six matches in the UEFA Nations League, moving above Brazil and Morocco.

Brazil dropped to sixth, while Morocco slipped from sixth to seventh.

Morocco still lead Africa

Despite the drop, Morocco maintain a comfortable advantage over their African rivals.

Senegal remain Africa’s second-highest-ranked side in 18th position globally, while Egypt dropped one place to 25th.

The latest ranking considers 338 international matches played since the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 19 July.

According to FIFA, the matches included UEFA Nations League fixtures, CONCACAF competitions and qualifiers for the 2027 AFCON, all of which contributed to changes in the standings.

Spain remain world number one

Spain retained the top position globally and extended their lead following their recent results.

Argentina remain second, around 40 points behind Spain, while France are third and England fourth.

Within the top 20, Switzerland were among the biggest movers, climbing two places to 12th. They moved ahead of Germany, who dropped to 13th, and Croatia, who fell to 14th.

Portugal and Switzerland both won all four of their Nations League matches, contributing to their improved rankings.

Africa increases top-50 presence

Africa also made progress in terms of representation among the world’s top 50 teams.

Mali climbed six places to 47th, while South Africa also moved up six positions to 48th. The changes mean CAF now has 10 teams inside the global top 50.

CAF’s representation increased as UEFA’s total fell to 24 teams and CONMEBOL’s to eight.

The Czech Republic and Peru dropped out of the top 50, falling to 51st and 53rd respectively. The AFC and CONCACAF each have four teams in the top 50, while Oceania has no team in the group.

AFCON qualifiers boost several African teams

Several African nations also made significant gains following their performances in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.

Rwanda climbed nine places to 119th, Guinea-Bissau rose eight positions to 124th and Gambia moved up seven places to 109th.

Botswana gained six places to 141st, while Mozambique climbed five positions to 98th.

Outside Africa, the Dominican Republic rose nine places to 135th, Guyana moved up eight to 142nd, Northern Ireland climbed six to 64th, Estonia advanced five to 122nd and Barbados rose five places to 174th.

FIFA attributed many of the movements to strong performances in the Nations League and CONCACAF competitions.

The latest ranking underlines the Atlas Lions’ continued position at the top of African football, even as they slipped one place in the global standings.