The latest FIFA World Rankings were finalised with reigning world champions Argentina sitting at the summit just before the kickoff of the 2026 World Cup.

Spain entered June 11 in second place, followed by France in third, England in fourth, with Portugal rounding off the top five. Brazil, Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany completed the top ten positions.

Except for Morocco, every side among the top-ranked teams concluded their pre-World Cup friendlies with a victory. However, not all of them managed the same success once the group stage fixtures of the tournament began.

Argentina climbed two spots to seize first place before the World Cup, helped in part by the ranking system that FIFA introduced in 2018.

According to FIFA, "[The new system] relies on adding or subtracting points earned or lost from a match to or from the previous total rather than averaging points over a specific period, as was done in the earlier version of the World Ranking."

"The points added or deducted are partly influenced by the relative strength of the two teams, based on the logical assumption that higher-ranked teams are expected to perform better against lower-ranked opponents," FIFA explained.

The scoring model behind the ranking algorithm uses a detailed weighting system that considers match difficulty and competition level. As a result, victories in World Cup fixtures against stronger teams yield higher scores than friendly matches against weaker sides.

A multiplier is applied to every match outcome to determine the final score for ranking purposes.

Although the FIFA World Rankings remain 'unofficial' between full updates, their transparent scoring system allows fans and analysts to track live ranking changes on a game-by-game basis.

After a complete round of group-stage fixtures at the 2026 World Cup, live rankings show that England have closed the gap on Spain, while France continue to keep pace with Argentina at the top.

England’s victory over Croatia increased their total by 19.66 points, taking them to 1847.68 in the live standings as of June 18.

Spain, meanwhile, slipped to 1856.03 following their draw with Cape Verde. It was a weaker outcome compared with England’s win, particularly as it came against lower-ranked opposition. The result cost Spain over 18 points, substantially reducing the gap and placing third position within England’s immediate reach.

Elsewhere, because Senegal are ranked higher than Algeria, France earned more points than Argentina, leaving them less than two points behind the top spot.

Can England move past Spain by the end of the group stage? Share your thoughts below...

Please adhere to our community guidelines when commenting.