Spain End 2025 on Top of FIFA Rankings

Spain have finished 2025 at the summit of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking, retaining the number one position ahead of world champions Argentina following the release of the December edition of the standings.

The final rankings of the year come after 42 international matches, with the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025™ dominating the latest international window. Spain, who reclaimed top spot from Argentina in September, remain unchanged at the top, with Argentina second and France completing the podium in third place.

Fresh from lifting the Arab Cup in Doha, Morocco remain just outside the top 10. The Atlas Lions are ranked 11th and trail 10th-placed Croatia by a narrow margin of just 0.54 points, leaving them closer than they have been to breaking into the world’s top 10 since April 1998.

The remainder of the top 10 is unchanged, with England fourth, followed by Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in ninth.

Further down the rankings, several nations made notable progress. Jordan climbed two places to 64th after pushing Morocco to the limit before finishing runners-up at the Arab Cup. Vietnam and Singapore recorded the biggest jumps in the rankings, each moving up three places, to 107th and 148th respectively.

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Kosovo emerged as the standout team of 2025 despite remaining 80th in the December rankings. They accumulated a competition-high 89.02 points over the year thanks to seven wins and two draws from 10 matches, resulting in an overall rise of 19 places across the calendar year.

Norway also enjoyed a strong 2025, earning 68.70 points to remain 29th, while Suriname continued their upward trajectory, climbing 15 places since December 2024 to sit 123rd.

At the other end of the scale, Malaysia suffered the steepest decline, dropping five places and losing 22.52 points. Palestine recorded the biggest gain in points, adding 14.18 to their total.

The confederation breakdown of the top 50 remains largely unchanged from last year. UEFA continue to dominate with 26 nations represented, while CONMEBOL and CAF each have seven teams. Concacaf and the AFC account for five apiece, with no OFC nations in the top 50.

The December release marks the final FIFA men’s world ranking update of 2025, setting the stage for another competitive year of international football ahead.

_{Featured Image Credit: Unsplash / Joshua Hoehne, Unsplash / Pedram Raz}