In this file photo, Kuwaiti players are patiently waiting for proceedings to start.

DAVOS, Jan 20 (KUNA): FIFA released its January 2026 national team rankings, confirming Spain’s continued hold on first place, Morocco’s historic entry into the global top ten, and Kuwait’s stable position.

According to FIFA, Kuwait remains 135th in the world with 1105.1 points.

Spain leads the rankings with 1877.18 points, narrowly ahead of world champions Argentina, who sit second with 1873.33 points. France remains third at 1870 points, followed by England (4th, 1834.12), Brazil (5th, 1760.46), and Portugal (6th, 1760.38). The Netherlands rounds out the top seven with 1756.27 points.

Morocco enters the top ten for the first time since April 1998, jumping to 8th place with 1736.57 points, marking the country’s best ranking in history—a rise of 20.23 points. Senegal, winners of the recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), continued their upward climb, moving into 12th place, highlighting their growing international stature.

Meanwhile, Belgium slipped to 9th, Germany sits 10th with 1724.15 points, and Croatia is 11th at 1716.88 points. FIFA also noted impressive progress from Nigeria and Cameroon, both of whom reached the AFCON quarter-finals and climbed 12 places each. Algeria advanced six places to 28th globally, followed by Egypt at 31st, while Tunisia dropped six places to 47th.

FIFA highlighted that the AFCON reshaped the rankings among the top confederations. The CAF now has nine nations in the top 50, up from seven at the end of 2025, while the AFC and CONCACAF each dropped to four teams in the top 50. UEFA continues to dominate with 26 of the leading 50 teams, while CONMEBOL has seven representatives and OFC remains unrepresented.