Portugal climb FIFA rankings as Spain head Euro 2028 betting
Portugal have climbed to fifth in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings, strengthening their position among the leading contenders for both Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.
Spain remain the world’s No. 1 team following their 2026 World Cup triumph and have extended their advantage over second-placed Argentina to almost 40 ranking points. France remain third, with England fourth and Portugal jumping two places to fifth.
Portugal were the only country in FIFA’s top 10 to improve their position in the October update, leapfrogging Brazil and Morocco following four consecutive UEFA Nations League victories.
The movement also puts FIFA’s rankings broadly in line with the early betting markets for the next two major international tournaments.
Spain are currently 4.33 favourites in the Euro 2028 market supplied by leading football betting sites, with England and France both at 5.50. Portugal are fourth favourites at 9.00, followed by Germany at 10.00, the Netherlands at 15.00 and Italy at 19.00.
Portugal’s position becomes even stronger when attention turns to the 2030 World Cup.
Current outright markets have defending champions Spain at around 5.50, ahead of France at 7.00 and Portugal at 8.00. Brazil and England are both around 9.00, with Germany 11.00 and Argentina 13.00.
That makes Portugal the third favourite for the next World Cup despite sitting fifth in FIFA’s rankings.
There is another obvious reason betting sites may be taking Portugal seriously. The country will co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Morocco, with additional centenary matches staged in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
Spain’s position is even clearer. La Roja are simultaneously the reigning world champions, FIFA’s No. 1-ranked men’s team and favourites in the early betting for both Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.
Argentina remain second in FIFA’s rankings following their run to the 2026 World Cup final but have already drifted behind several European nations in the early 2030 betting. Brazil have fallen to sixth in the rankings and are also outside the top three in World Cup markets.
Portugal, meanwhile, are moving in the opposite direction.
Their four-match winning start to the latest Nations League campaign has pushed them to fifth in the world, while Spain and Switzerland have also opened their campaigns with four straight victories. Switzerland’s run lifted them two places to 12th, ahead of Germany and Croatia, which dropped to 13th and 14th respectively.
Further down the rankings, Greece climbed five positions to 41st after going unbeaten across four matches. Mali and South Africa each jumped six places to 47th and 48th respectively.
Those gains mean Africa now has 10 countries inside FIFA’s top 50. UEFA has 24, CONMEBOL eight, while the AFC and Concacaf have four each. No Oceania nation currently sits inside the top 50.
Some of the largest movements came following Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches. Rwanda climbed nine places to 119th, Guinea-Bissau gained eight to reach 124th and The Gambia moved seven positions to 109th.
FIFA said 338 men’s internationals have been played since the 2026 World Cup concluded on July 19. Guinea-Bissau recorded the largest points increase, gaining 35.65, while Rwanda and the Dominican Republic shared the biggest rise by ranking positions at nine places. Sierra Leone suffered the largest fall, dropping eight spots.
The next FIFA men’s world ranking will be published on November 18.
