New FIFA rankings: Ukraine's place as World Cup qualifying looms

Setback after Canada

Following their performance at the Canadian Shield tournament, Ukraine slipped one spot and is now ranked 26th in the world with 1557.21 points.

Serhii Rebrov's team played two friendly matches in Canada in June. They lost the first match 2-4 to the hosts, and narrowly defeated New Zealand 2-1 in the second.

Although Ukraine finished second overall in the tournament, the results cost the team a small number of ranking points.

Australia, having qualified for the final stage of the 2026 World Cup, moved up the rankings and overtook Ukraine to claim the 25th spot. Meanwhile, Canada, despite beating Ukraine, remains below, in 28th place.

Changes in the top 10: Portugal climbs

Argentina still leads the FIFA ranking, followed by Spain and France. After winning the UEFA Nations League, Portugal has risen to sixth place, pushing the Netherlands down. Italy has dropped out of the top 10, overtaken by Germany and Croatia.

FIFA World Ranking as of July 10:

1. Argentina – 1885.36
2. Spain – 1867.09
3. France – 1862.03
4. England – 1813.32
5. Brazil – 1777.69
6. Portugal – 1770.53
7. Netherlands – 1758.18
8. Belgium – 1736.38
9. Germany – 1716.98
10. Croatia – 1707.51

Ukraine and nearby positions:

• 24. Australia – 1578.57

• 25. Ecuador – 1570.68

• 26. Ukraine – 1557.21

• 27. Turkey – 1553.19

• 28. Canada – 1548.94

What's next

In September, Ukraine will begin its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Their group opponents include:

• France – ranked 3rd
• Iceland – ranked 74th
• Azerbaijan – ranked 122nd

Ukraine in the FIFA rankings

The FIFA national team ranking system was introduced in 1993 and has undergone two major overhauls—in 2006 and 2018. The latest reform introduced the Elo rating system, which is also widely used in chess.

Ukraine's lowest-ever ranking was 132nd (September 1993), while its highest was 11th (February 2007).