The November update of the FIFA Ranking arrived with major shake-ups near the top and several surprises that reshaped the global landscape ahead of the 2026 World Cup. While the very top remained steady, the positions behind it delivered big jumps… and a few painful falls.

Spain Holds the Top Spot as Brazil Moves Up

For the third month in a row, Spain stayed firmly at No. 1 in the world. Behind them, Argentina, France, and England held their ground, forming an unchanged top-four compared to October.

The biggest movement came right after that group: Brazil climbed two positions to take fifth place, pushing Portugal down to sixth and the Netherlands to seventh. The Brazilian rise reflects their strong results to close the year, while both Portuguese and Dutch sides paid the price for recent slips.

Italy’s Fall After the Loss to Norway

The toughest hit of the month was suffered by Italy, who dropped out of the top-10 and fell to 12th place.
The 1–4 home defeat to Norway not only sent the Azzurri into the European playoffs but also cost them three places in the ranking.

That stumble opened the door for Croatia, who returned to the top-10 by climbing to tenth.

United States Passes Mexico Among the 2026 Hosts

Among the 2026 World Cup host nations, there was a notable shift:
The United States rose to 14th place, while Mexico slipped to 15th, swapping positions. Both remain the highest-ranked sides in Concacaf, but the American upswing signals a trend heading toward their home World Cup.

Nigeria, Tunisia and Uzbekistan Deliver the Biggest Surges

In the upper-mid section of the table, two climbs stood out:
Nigeria, now 38th, and Tunisia, up to 40th.
Just below them came one of the symbolic milestones of the update: Uzbekistan re-entered the top-50 for the first time since 2016.

Among the nations with the largest jumps of the month were the Philippines (136th), Turkmenistan (137th), and Malta (161st), all rising five positions.

Kosovo Sets Another Historic Record

One of the year’s most surprising stories continues to come from Kosovo, who climbed once again—this time to 80th place—marking the highest position in the nation’s history.
All signs indicate they will finish 2025 as the team with the most progress across the entire FIFA Ranking.