MILAN – Italy's failure to participate in the World Cup has caused them to drop three spots in the FIFA rankings. The Azzurri slip to 15th in a ranking led by newly crowned world champions Spain, who overtook Argentina at the top after beating them last Sunday in the final at the New York New Jersey Stadium thanks to Ferran Torres's goal in the second half of extra time.
The other two World Cup semi-finalists, France and England, are in third and fourth place in the rankings. Brazil and Morocco have moved up one spot, climbing to fifth and sixth place respectively, overtaking Portugal (7th, -2). Mexico (+4) returns to the top ten for the first time since March 2022, behind Belgium (8th, +1) and the Netherlands (9th, -1). Both teams, who reached the World Cup quarter-finals, have made significant gains, with Norway (19th, +12) and Switzerland (15th, +5). Positive results at the World Cup also saw Egypt (24th, +5), Paraguay (34th, +7), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (41st, +5), South Africa (54th, +6), and Ghana (65th, +8) rise several places, while Turkey (27th, -5), the Republic of Korea (32nd, -7), Panama (44th, -10), and the Czech Republic (48th, -8) lost ground. The next FIFA ranking will be published on October 7.
