Portugal rises to fifth in FIFA men’s ranking after four Nations League wins

Portugal rose from seventh to fifth in FIFA’s men’s world ranking published on Wednesday, 7 October, moving ahead of Brazil and Morocco after winning its first four matches of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League. Spain remained first in the ranking. Portugal was the only team to climb within the top 10, making its return to fifth the main change near the top of the table.

The places were close on points. According to figures published by Observador and Agência Lusa, Portugal had 1,807.69 points, Brazil was sixth with 1,806.51 and Morocco seventh with 1,805.34. Portugal’s advantage over Brazil was 1.18 points, while Brazil led Morocco by 1.17. Brazil and Morocco each dropped one place as Portugal passed them; no other team entered or left the top 10.

How Portugal moved ahead of Brazil and Morocco

FIFA attributed Portugal’s rise to its four-match winning start in the Nations League. Lusa reported that Portugal beat Wales 1-0 in Lisbon, defeated Norway 2-1 in Oslo and again by 2-1 in Porto, then won 4-2 away to Denmark in Copenhagen. Those results returned Portugal to fifth after the previous ranking, issued on 20 July, had placed it seventh behind Brazil and Morocco.

The run also had a consequence in the competition itself: Lusa reported that Portugal secured early qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals. Portugal entered the new campaign as the defending champion. The ranking records where the national teams stand after the recent international matches; the reported quarter-final place comes from Portugal’s Nations League results, rather than from its position on FIFA’s list.

Spain leads the FIFA ranking as Portugal reaches fifth

Spain retained first place, followed by Argentina and France, with England fourth. Lusa’s published points put Spain on 2,011.57, Argentina on 1,972.80, France on 1,958.86 and England on 1,925.59. FIFA described Argentina’s gap to Spain as almost 40 points. Portugal’s move did not alter that leading four, but it changed the order immediately below them.

Belgium, the Netherlands and Mexico retained eighth, ninth and 10th in Lusa’s standings. FIFA said Portugal was the sole climber among the top 10 and identified Brazil and Morocco as the only other teams in that group whose positions changed. That makes the movement unusually concentrated: three teams exchanged places while the other seven held their previous ranks.

What the October ranking covers and when it changes next

FIFA said 338 men’s internationals had been played since the 2026 World Cup ended on 19 July. The period included UEFA and Concacaf Nations League fixtures as well as qualifying matches for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Portugal’s place reflects results in that broader international window; FIFA’s announcement did not state that reaching fifth independently changes Portugal’s tournament qualification or the outcome of any future match.

Beyond the top 10, FIFA identified Switzerland as another notable riser, up two places to 12th after passing Germany and Croatia. It also reported six-place gains for Mali, now 47th, and South Africa, now 48th. Rwanda and the Dominican Republic made the largest gains by rank, each rising nine places. Those shifts show that the October list reflects matches across several regions, even though Portugal supplied its most prominent change near the top.

FIFA has scheduled the next edition of its men’s world ranking for 18 November 2026. Until that update, the confirmed October order has Portugal fifth, narrowly ahead of Brazil and Morocco, while Spain remains the leader. Portugal’s immediate competitive milestone is its Nations League quarter-final qualification, reported by Lusa after the four wins that also preceded its climb in the ranking.