The FIFA World Rankings — updated ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 — placed world champions Argentina at the summit, with Spain in second, France in third, and England in fourth. Portugal rounded out the top five, while Brazil, Morocco, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany completed the top ten.

All of those sides finished their pre-tournament preparations with a win, with the exception of Morocco. However, the group stage has begun to shuffle the standings in real time.

How FIFA's live rankings work

The ranking system, overhauled in 2018, no longer averages results over a set period. Instead, as FIFA explains, it adds or subtracts points earned in each match directly to a team's running total. The relative strength of opponents feeds into the calculation — stronger teams are expected to beat weaker ones, so the reward for doing so is smaller, while an upset earns a greater return.

A multiplier is also applied depending on the match result, and the competition level matters: a World Cup fixture carries significantly more weight than a friendly. Although full official ranking updates are periodic, the transparent nature of the formula allows live standings to be tracked match by match.

England gain ground on Spain after matchday one

Following the first complete matchday of the group stage, the live rankings show England making a meaningful move toward Spain. England's victory over Croatia added 19.66 points to their tally, lifting them to 1847.68 as of June 18.

Spain, meanwhile, dropped to 1856.03 after being held to a draw by Cape Verde — a result that cost them more than 18 points. Given that both Spain and England faced lower-ranked opponents, Spain's failure to win a comparable fixture proved far more costly. The gap between the two sides has been cut roughly in half, placing third spot within England's reach.

France close in on Argentina at the top

Further up the table, France have kept pace with Argentina — and then some. Because Senegal rank higher than Algeria, France earned more ranking points from their victory than Argentina gained from theirs, leaving France fewer than two points behind Argentina at the summit.

With several more group stage fixtures still to come, the live standings remain fluid. England, France, and others could yet see their positions shift considerably before the group phase concludes.