FIFA World Rankings: France, Italy advance, Belgium remain on top

New Zealand and Indonesia made the biggest jumps.

October was a busy month in international football, with the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Qatar 202, international friendlies, and the final rounds of the UEFA Nations League all on the agenda. A total of 160 fixtures were played, the impact of which can be seen in the FIFA World Rankings published on 21 October (Thursday).

Though their lead is now under threat, Belgium remains atop the world hierarchy despite UEFA Nations League defeats to France (3) and Italy (4). Among the top five, only Les Bleus and Azzurri have improved their positions. check full rakings here.

[KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Brazil remain second but are breathing down the neck of Belgium, just 12 points further back. England dropped two places to fifth.

A little further down, Spain’s (7) progress at the expense of Portugal  (8) is also noteworthy, as is that of Germany, who leapfrogged the United States into the 13th place. Uruguay (15) lost most ground among the top 20 by dropping three places.

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News |ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

It is after that, however, where we find some of the most significant movers of this edition. Morocco (29), Russia (33), Egypt (44), Saudi Arabia (49) and South Africa (66) all made strides on the back of two wins from two this month in Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Two nations in the second half of the table fared even better, with New Zealand (111) and Indonesia (165) the joint biggest movers this month, ahead of the Central African Republic (115) and Cambodia (170).

In Asia, Iran remain the top-ranked side at the 22nd spot in the FIFA rankings followed by Japan and Australia in 28th and 34th place respectively. India, who recently won the SAFF Championship 2021, made progress moving to 107 previously to 106. Other SAFF nations Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives and made strides but Nepal dropped places and are now ranked at 169.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.