Croatia ends the year as the tenth-ranked national team in the world

In the updated rankings, Argentina is second and France third, while England — Croatia’s opponent in Group L of the FIFA World Cup to be held in June and July 2026 in the USA, Mexico, and Canada — sits in fourth place. 

After the previous ranking published on 19 November, only 42 international matches were played, resulting in minimal changes across the table. As a result, the order of the top ten teams remained unchanged compared to the November edition. Brazil stayed in fifth place, Portugal in sixth, the Netherlands in seventh, Belgium in eighth, and Germany in ninth. 

Among Croatia’s other Group L opponents at the World Cup, Panama remained in 32nd place, while Ghana is ranked 72nd. 

The next FIFA ranking will be published on 19 January 2026. 

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