The U.S. Men’s National Team moved up slightly in the first FIFA Rankings following the 2026 World Cup.
Mauricio Pochettino’s squad jumped up one spot to No. 16 in July’s rankings, FIFA announced Monday. The Americans dropped to No. 17 following friendlies against Senegal (3-2 win) and Germany (2-1 loss) before World Cup play began.
The USMNT topped Group D at the World Cup after defeating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 in back-to-back matches before falling 3-2 to Turkey in their group stage finale. After a 2-0 Round of 32 triumph over Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Americans suffered a Round of 16 exit after being thumped 4-1 by Belgium.
Forward Folarin Balogun (three goals) and midfielder Malik Tillman (two goals, one assist) were among the standout performers in Pochettino’s squad this summer.
Mexico remained top amongst CONCACAF nations after moving up four places into the No. 10 spot. El Tri won Group A after defeating South Africa, Czechia, and South Korea before also defeating Ecuador 2-0 in the Round of 32.
Javier Aguirre’s squad also bowed out in the Round of 16, losing 3-2 to England.
Canada, Panama, Costa Rica and Honduras all remained in CONCACAF’s top-six nations, with only the Canadians and Panamanians featuring at the World Cup. Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad also were eliminated in the Round of 16 while Panama failed to make it out of its group.
Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s World Cup Final at New York-New Jersey Stadium, jumping their opponents into the No. 1 spot with the result.
Semifinalists France and England stayed in the No. 3-4 places despite the Three Lions outlasting Les Bleus 6-3 in the third-place match on Saturday. Brazil and Morocco both jumped up one place apiece into the top-six while Portugal fell two spots to No. 7.
Belgium, Netherlands and Mexico rounded out the Top-10 while Germany fell out entirely following their Round of 32 loss to Paraguay.
Among the biggest jumpers following the World Cup were Switzerland (No. 14), Norway (No. 19), Egypt (No. 24), and Paraguay (No. 34).
The next FIFA Rankings update is slated to take place following the September-October window this fall.
Source: Sbisoccer.com
