World No.34: Qatar soar to all-time high in FIFA ranking

Qatar Team

Two-time Asian champions Qatar leapfrogged to their highest-ever 34th position in the latest FIFA Ranking following back-to-back victories against Kuwait in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 joint qualifiers.

The Marquez Lopez’s side which defeated Kuwait 3-0 and 2-1 in the double-header recently had jumped 21 places to 37th in the previous world standings following their successful Asian Cup title defence in which they won seven straight matches.

Qatar have won all four previous matches in their group at joint qualifiers, including 8-1 and 3-0 wins over Afghanistan and India. Their fine show in the competition took them to the third round of World Cup qualifiers besides sealing their berth for the Asian Cup.  

They are placed second among Arab teams behind World Cup semi-finalists Morocco – ranked 13th in the world ranking announced yesterday by the governing body. Al Annabi are fifth best placed side in Asia behind Japan (18), Iran (20) South Korea (23) and Australia (24).  

A total of 174 matches, spanning all four corners of the globe, were played during the most recent window in the men’s international Match Calendar. Asian teams were involved in various formats, including FIFA World Cup 26 qualifiers, whereas the Concacaf zone witnessed the final phase of the Nations League. There were also several friendly matches in each of the six confederations as part of the FIFA Series 2024.

These matches have had a significant effect on the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking, most notably within the top ten.

Argentina (1st) continue to lead the way ahead of France (2nd), but Belgium (3rd, up 1) have returned to the podium at the expense of England (4th, down 1). Brazil (5th) complete the top five, but Portugal (6th, up 1) are now knocking on the door.

The Netherlands (7th, down 1) have slipped one place, whereas Spain (8th), Italy (9th) and Croatia (10th) have all held on to their positions.

The USA (11th, up 2), Colombia (12th, up 2), Ukraine (22nd, up 2) and Poland (28th, up 2) have all made progress up the ranking, as have Czechia (36th, up 4), Palestine (93rd, up 4) and Kyrgyz Republic (100th, up 4), all of whom have taken the biggest strides among the top 100 teams.

It is outside of the top 100, however, that the biggest movers are to be found. Libya (114th, up 6) and Afghanistan (151st, up 7) have made impressive progress, but it is Indonesia (134th, up 8) who are the biggest climbers on the back of their two victories over Vietnam during FIFA World Cup 26 qualifiers. The next edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking will be published on June 20.