The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced its global rankings for national football teams for September 2023.
According to FIFA’s official statement, Argentina retained its position at the pinnacle, followed by teams from France, Brazil, England, Belgium, Croatia, and the Netherlands. Portugal made a leap to the eighth spot, pushing Italy to ninth place, while Spain retained the tenth spot.
On a regional level, Morocco maintained its lead as the top Arab and African team, jumping to the 13th position globally.
They are followed by Senegal (20th), Tunisia (29th), Algeria (34th), Egypt (35th), and Nigeria (40th).
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia occupies the fifth spot among Arab countries, ranking 57th globally, followed by Qatar (61st), Iraq (69th), UAE (70th), Oman (73rd), Jordan (84th), Bahrain (86th), Syria (93rd), Palestine (97th), and Mauritania (99th).
Other Arab teams that didn’t make it to the top 100 list include Lebanon (101st), Libya (126th), Comoros Islands (129th), Sudan (130th), Kuwait (135th), Yemen (156th), Djibouti (190th), and Somalia (194th).
FIFA’s statement clarified that the current rankings were based on 159 international matches that took place during the month of September.
It’s worth noting that the Moroccan team achieved a significant milestone for the first time in Arab and African history by securing the fourth position in the 2022 World Cup.
Last month, France sailed into the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup with a resounding 4-0 triumph over Morocco in Adelaide.
Eugenie Le Sommer, the all-time top scorer for both teams, found the net twice, while Kadidatou Diani and Kenza Dali also contributed to the scoreline.
Despite Morocco’s resilient defense in the early stages, France’s persistent offensive efforts paid off as Diani opened the scoring after 15 minutes.
France’s momentum continued with two additional goals within the following eight minutes, courtesy of Le Sommer and Kenza Dali from Aston Villa, solidifying Harve Ranard’s team’s dominance before the half-hour mark.