The Men’s FIFA World Ranking is basically telling which teams are the best in a given moment based on the national team’s game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest. 

The rankings were introduced in December 1992, and eight teams so far, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain have held the top position, of which Brazil have spent the longest period ranked first.

So if you were wondering which national teams are the best, here is the list of the top 10 for the month of October 2021.

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Top 10 FIFA Rankings

10. Denmark

Probably the most surprising team among the best ten is Denmark. The “Red and White” got into the top ten in the middle of September this year after they reached the semifinals at the EURO 2020 where they were eliminated by England after extra time.

Their success seems even bigger knowing that they survived the first match horror when Christian Eriksen collapsed in the loss against Finland. Denmark has already qualified for the 2022 World Cup as they have a perfect score in eight games with an impressive 27-0 goal difference.

9. Mexico

Mexico has never won a major tournament but is constantly competing with the best and have deserved all the respect from the opponents.

Most recently, Mexico defeated Honduras by 3-0 in the World Cup qualifiers which marked their fifth game without a loss in all competitions. Their best ranking is No. 4 which they reached for the first time in 1998.

8. Spain

Spain hasn’t been on top of the rankings since 2014 but recent failures to win a big tournament are expected since they have made many changes in their national team. They finished as runners-up in the League of Nations this year after losing the final against France despite having a 1-0 lead late in the second half.

At the EURO 2020 they lost to Italy in the semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out. The Olympic team won the silver medal in Tokyo after losing to Brazil in the finals. Luis Enrique’s squad will have to step up in the World Cup qualifiers as they are second in their qualifying group with two points less than Sweden.

7. Portugal

Portugal’s early exit from the EURO 2020 has dropped them from 3rd place to 7th on the official FIFA ranking. Portugal is on the verge of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup as they are in pole position in their qualifying round and all they need to do is not to lose against Serbia on their home pitch.

Cristiano Ronaldo recently became the world record holder for most goals for a nation with 112 and he is also the Portuguese player with the most appearances – 181.

6. Argentina

Argentina hasn’t seen major international success since Diego Maradona but recently they have shown that they are getting really close to doing that. This year they won the Copa America defeating their biggest rival Brazil in the finals in Rio.

How good they play lately is best described by the fact that they haven’t lost in the last 25 games. Argentina is currently second in the South American qualifiers with a six points deficit compared to Brazil.

5. Italy

Italy is the reigning European Champion after they defeated England at Wembley this year. Even though many are not fans of Italian football, they are one of the most successful nations in the world.

They finished third in the League of Nations this year and are on top of their qualifying group for the 2022 World Cup with only one goal conceded in six matches.

4. France

France is the reigning World Cup champions after they beat Croatia in the 2018 final by 4-2 and most recently they won the League of Nations after a comeback win in the finals against Spain. They failed to repeat a major success in the 2020 Euro as they surprisingly lost to Switzerland after a penalty shootout despite they led 3-1 in the match.

Still, with Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba, France is and will be one of the best teams in the world in the next decade.

3. England

England failed to “bring it home” after they lost the EURO final at Wembley after a penalty shoot-out against Italy. Still, the new generation of players looks promising for a bright future for the ‘Three Lions’.

England is on top of their qualifying group and will most definitely book their ticket for the 2022 World Cup. This is the second time they are ranked third at the FIFA rankings matching their best rankings from 2012.

 

 

2. Brazil

Brazil is the only nation to win 5 World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) and to participate in every single one of them. They will continue their successful run since they are on top of the South American qualifiers for the upcoming World Cup.

They are called the land of football with the most registered football players in the world. Brazil has been ranked first on the FIFA list for the record 159 times.

1. Belgium

Belgium is the current leader on the official FIFA rankings despite never winning a major tournament. This isn’t the first time they reached the top of the rankings as they previously have been there in 2015 and 2018.

At the EURO 2020 they were among the top contenders but lost in the quarter-finals to Italy. They also failed to win the Nation League finishing in fourth place after losing the semis to France despite the 2-0 league and in the third-place match to Italy.

 

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Related Links:

• FIFA Women’s World Rankings 2021
• FIFA Men’s World Rankings 2021