October 17 – Reigning world champions Argentina have climbed back to second place in the latest Men’s World Ranking, closing the gap on Spain, who strengthened their position at the top after back-to-back qualifying wins.
The October 2025 update follows a busy international window featuring 173 matches, including World Cup 2026 qualifiers across five continents as every nation strives to have a seat on the plane to next summer’s World Cup festivities in North America.
Spain’s unbeaten run has kept them top for a second consecutive ranking cycle, while Argentina have leapfrogged France into second after Les Bleus were held to a 2-2 draw in Iceland.
Germany re-enter the top 10 after a brief absence, rising two places to tenth following a strong qualifying campaign – picking up three straight wins after an early hiccup versus Slovakia.
Their return comes at the expense of Croatia (11th, down two), who dropped points against Czech to blemish an otherwise strong window. Elsewhere, the Netherlands (6th, up one) move above Brazil (7th, down one) after the Seleção’s defeat to Japan in a friendly.
Among the top 50, European sides Hungary (37th, up four), Scotland (38th, up five), and Romania (47th, up four) all made big climbs up the rankings.
Further down the table, the biggest climbers were Niger (108th), Lesotho (144th) and the Faroe Islands (127th), each jumping nine places. The Faroe Islands’ surprise victory over Czechia (44th, down five) in World Cup qualifying provided one of the month’s standout results – sending them flying up the table whilst yanking Czechia out of the top 40.
The ranking update saw Kosovo (84th, up seven) reach their highest-ever ranking, while Syria (86th) and Liberia (138th) each rose six spots.
On the way down, Greece (48th) and Sweden (40th) dropped eight places after successive defeats in UEFA qualifying – with Alexander Isak and Victor Gyokeres struggling to leave a mark as Sweden’s World Cup hopes hang in the balance.
To see the full ranking click here.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1760709739labto1760709739ofdlr1760709739owedi1760709739sni@g1760709739niwe.1760709739yrrah1760709739
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