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The FIFA World Rankings determine which football side is the best in the world in between World Cups and other tournaments.
Current FIFA men’s Rankings
Powerhouse countries like Argentina, Brazil and Germany traditionally dominate the standings, while Australia typically sits around the 40-50 mark. The rankings are updated on a monthly basis, often on the first or second Thursday of the month (European time).
Here are the top 20 ranked teams plus the ranking of the Socceroos.
Rank
Country
Change
1
Argentina
–
2
France
–
3
Brazil
–
4
England
–
5
Belgium
–
6
Croatia
–
7
Netherlands
–
8
Italy
–
9
Portugal
–
10
Spain
–
11
United States
–
12
Mexico
+2
13
Switzerland
-1
14
Morocco
-1
15
Germany
–
16
Uruguay
–
17
Colombia
–
18
Senegal
–
19
Denmark
–
20
Japan
–
27
Australia
–
To see the standings of all 209 nations, head over to FIFA’s website.
Socceroos’ world ranking
Australia has something of a mixed history in the FIFA rankings.
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Their best-ever ranking came in September 2009, when they were listed as the 14th-best side in the world.
The side’s worst ranking came five years later in November 2014 following a disastrous lead-up to and group stage of the World Cup, when they lost all three pool matches against Chile, the Netherlands and Spain. They slipped to 102nd in the world, the only time they’ve broken three figures.
They currently sit 27th, having risen 11 places courtesy of their run to the round of 16 at the World Cup. Their post-World Cup ranking was the Socceroos’ highest since being 20th in March 2012.
Current FIFA women’s Rankings
The women’s rankings are almost always dominated by the USA.
The Matildas caused a stir by dropping one spot to 11th despite reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup, a decision that prompted outrage nationwide. Leapfrogging them into the top 10 is Japan, who jump from 11th to eighth despite a quarter-final loss at the showpiece tournament.
