FIFA Rankings: Ten African teams in the top 50, Morocco remains 7th globally

FIFA published its new world rankings on October 7, 2026, and Africa occupies a position it has never held with such density: ten teams from the continent are among the top fifty in the world. Morocco, ranked 7th, remains the African flag-bearer.

The Atlas Lions have a total of 1805.34 points, according to the daily newspaper Libération as reported by AllAfrica, and remain first in Africa and the Arab world. However, they have slipped one spot following the international break, with Brazil moving ahead of them in a top 10 dominated by world champions Spain, 2026 World Cup finalists Argentina, and France.

Ten Africans in the top fifty

Behind Morocco, Senegal is 18th, Egypt 25th, Algeria 28th, Côte d'Ivoire 29th, and Nigeria 30th. The DR Congo has gained one spot to reach 40th place, according to Radio Okapi, ahead of Cameroon (42nd), Mali (47th), and South Africa (48th). These last two teams recorded the strongest gains on the continent in this section of the table, with six places gained each.

The details of the top 50 precisely illustrate the global balance of power: the CAF now has ten representatives, compared to twenty-four for UEFA and eight for CONMEBOL, with Asia and North America fielding four each, and Oceania none, according to Libération.

Progress from the bottom

The movement does not only concern the major nations. Rwanda climbed nine spots to 119th, Guinea-Bissau eight to 124th, The Gambia seven to 109th, Botswana six to 141st, and Mozambique five to 98th. These are all federations with limited resources that are gaining points in qualifiers.

The rankings remain harsh for other regulars: Tunisia is 61st, Burkina Faso 62nd, Cape Verde 68th, Ghana 70th, and Guinea 82nd, according to Africasport. This edition takes into account 338 international matches played since the end of the World Cup on July 19, 2026.

These figures come at a time when the Confederation of African Football is gathering the presidents of its 54 federations in Cape Verde from October 7 to 9, 2026, to assess the North American World Cup. The next ranking will incorporate the results of the following international window and the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, where several of these teams are already playing for their qualification.