FIFA rankings – January 2026: Benin holds steady, Morocco breaks into the world top 10.
In the wake of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, FIFA published its January 2026 ranking, marked by Benin’s stability and the spectacular progress of Africa’s leading nations.
The FIFA World Ranking update, released publicly this Monday, January 19, did not bring any changes for the Benin Cheetahs. Despite an encouraging victory against Botswana (1-0) in the Africa Cup of Nations and a qualification for the round of 16, the Benin squad remains exactly in the same positions as last November: 92nd in the world rankings and 20th on the African board. This stability reflects the difficulty in amassing meaningful points against better-ranked opponents, despite an honorable run in Morocco.
By contrast, the continent’s powerhouses are fully benefiting from their performance at the CAN. The unlucky finalist on home soil, Morocco makes a remarkable leap and enters the global top 10 for the first time, settling at 8th place while remaining firmly atop Africa. Crowned continental champions, Senegal continues its ascent and now sits at 12th in the world, while Nigeria, bronze medalist, completes the African podium by occupying 26th place worldwide. Additionally, globally, Spain remains the leader ahead of Argentina (2nd) and France (3rd).
The full ranking is available here.
| Rank | Country |
|---|---|
| 1 | Spain |
| 2 | Argentina |
| 3 | France |
| 4 | England |
| 5 | Brazil |
| 6 | Portugal |
| 7 | Netherlands |
| 8 | Morocco |
| 9 | Belgium |
| 10 | Germany |
| 11 | Croatia |
| 12 | Senegal |
| 13 | Italy |
| 14 | Colombia |
| 15 | United States |
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