Spain remain first in FIFA men's ranking in October 2025
India drop to 136th in FIFA rankings, lowest in nine years
Germany rise to 10th, securing a potential World Cup seed
FIFA revealed its latest men's world ranking on Friday, October 17, confirming Spain remain at the top. Conversely, the Indian football team plummeted to 136th, marking their lowest ranking in nine years following a draw and a defeat against Singapore in Asian Cup qualifying.
In another development for European football, Germany's football team moved up two places to 10th, a position that could secure them a top seed in the eagerly awaited World Cup 2026 finals tournament draw on December 5, which is set to involve U.S. President Donald Trump.
Rankings And World Cup Seeding
Spain continue to lead the FIFA men's world ranking. World Cup title holder Argentina are second, followed by France at number three, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Belgium in eighth place.
Germany earned a two-spot rise to 10th position after securing back-to-back wins in World Cup qualifying against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland. This contrasts with their initial qualifier last month, in which Germany lost against Slovakia.
Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runner-up and a semi-finalist in the 2022 edition, dropped to 11th after drawing a game against the Czech Republic last week.
The 48-team World Cup draw will feature 12 top-seeded nations, including the three co-hosts – the United States, Canada, and Mexico – along with the nine highest-ranked direct qualifiers from FIFA's November rankings.
Current ninth-ranked Italy will likely head to the European playoffs in March as they finished runner-up in a qualifying group led by Norway. This ensures the 10th-ranked team anticipates avoiding other top-seeded nations in the draw for the tournament, scheduled from June 11 to July 19.
The FIFA rankings will also decide the seedings for pots 2 and 3. Pot 4 comprises the six lowest-ranked direct qualifiers and six placeholders for playoff winners in March. Four European teams will advance through playoffs, while a global bracket of six non-European teams, including Bolivia and New Caledonia, offers two more places.
The October rankings, confirmed on Friday, set the fixtures for next month's African playoff bracket to decide one team for intercontinental play. These pairings are Nigeria vs Gabon and Cameroon vs Congo.
India Face Big Setback
Meanwhile, India's men's football team plummeted to 136th in the FIFA ranking, marking their lowest position in nine years. A draw and a defeat against Singapore caused this downturn, which dashed India's hopes of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup 2027.
India's previous worst ranking, 137th, occurred in November and October 2016. Conversely, India's best-ever ranking was 94th in February 1996. The team secured a lucky 1-1 draw against Singapore in their away Asian Cup qualifying match, before losing the home-leg game 1-2 in Margao on October 14.
As a result, the Indian team dropped two places from its previous 134th rank, placing it one spot below Kuwait and one position above Botswana.
(With AP and PTI Inputs)
