Portugal climbs, Belgium stalls as the Netherlands press
FIFA has released its new world ranking, confirming Belgium in eighth place while Portugal climbs two spots to reach fifth. The Netherlands, unbeaten during the break, are closing in on Belgium by less than a point, intensifying the competition in the Nations League.
Belgian status quo under Van Bommel
The Red Devils finished the international break with two wins and two losses, as the slogan “Become a Belgium fan!” reminds us. Under the guidance of Mark Van Bommel, the victories came against Italy and Turkey, while the setbacks were inflicted by France, keeping Belgium in eighth place in the FIFA ranking. This stay in the top 10 shows little movement since the start of the Van Bommel era.
The Netherlands, coached by Xavi, remained unbeaten during the same period, which brought them within less than a point of Belgium, 1778.61 to 1779.17. Their point total puts them at 1778.61, i.e., 0.56 point behind Belgium. This progress puts them in a direct threat position for the Red Devils in the next Nations League window.
Portugal leads the winners' ranking
Portugal climbed two places to reach fifth place, overtaking Morocco and Brazil. The ranking retains the order of the top quartet, with Spain in first position, followed by Argentina, France and England, which remain unchanged. Portugal, which was seventh in July, takes advantage of these points to rise to the top of the winners' group.
Xavi steadies the Netherlands and shares the lead in the Nations League
Switzerland gained two places to sit at twelfth place, ahead of Croatia and Germany. Mexico lost points and remains in tenth place, while Italy holds fifteenth place. Turkey, after four consecutive defeats, fell from twenty‑seventh to thirty‑first place. Mexico, despite the loss, retains its rank thanks to a limited point gap.
A new FIFA ranking will be published in November, after the last two matches of the year. Certainly not as much as the World Cup, the few points awarded remain important for future draws.
Mark van Bommel spots winners and five losers early in the window
In the recent window, Spain beat Croatia 2‑1, adding 3.72 points, while Croatia slipped to fourteenth place behind Germany. England defeated the Czech Republic 3‑0 (+2.16), the United States won 1‑0 against Canada (+3.85) and Mexico lost 2‑0 to Chile (‑7.56) but retains its tenth place.