Winning feels good, and it often comes with a boost. For Portugal’s national football team, their recent Nations League victory in June did just that. It pushed them up to sixth place in the FIFA world rankings. That’s a nice jump for a team that battled hard to lift the trophy.
The final match against Spain was a real nail-biter. After a 2-2 draw, Portugal won 5-3 on penalties. That dramatic win helped the Portuguese squad climb one spot. They managed to leapfrog over the Netherlands, who now sit in seventh place. Every single match can shift things around on this global stage.
Argentina, the world champions, are still on top of the heap. They lead the rankings, showing their consistent strength. Spain holds onto second place, with France right behind them in third. England is comfortable at fourth, and Brazil rounds out the top five. It’s a tough crowd at the very top.
Other teams in the top ten also saw changes. Germany, for example, beat Portugal 2-1 in the Nations League semifinals. Despite that loss to Portugal, Germany actually moved up to ninth. Croatia also gained a spot, now closing out the top ten. Italy, however, had a tough month, dropping two places to twelfth. It shows how quickly fortunes can change in international football.
Football’s reach is truly global, and the rankings reflect that. Among Portuguese-speaking African nations, Cape Verde remains the highest ranked, sitting at 73rd. Angola saw a positive move, climbing two spots to 85th. Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau each dropped three places, both now at 99th. São Tomé and Príncipe gained one spot, finding themselves at 193rd.
Further down the list, Macau is ranked 192nd. East Timor isn’t far behind them, sitting in 195th place. Each nation, no matter how small, has its place in these global standings.
One team that didn’t have much luck was Azerbaijan. They dropped three places to 122nd. Their struggles continued under former Portugal coach Fernando Santos. He led them for ten games, and they didn’t manage to win any of them. Sometimes, a change of scenery doesn’t bring immediate results.
We’ll see more changes soon enough. The next FIFA ranking update is set for September 18th. That’s after the national teams play more matches, giving them new chances to climb or fall.