Qatar rises in FIFA rankings after defeating Iran in qualifiers

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC Qualification window influencing the FIFA Men’s World Ranking, which FIFA produces every quarter, Qatar’s national football team moved up a couple of spots to 53rd in the latest update. Al Annabi earned a significant victory with a 1-0 victory over highly regarded regional neighbors Iran on June 5. Although 1-0 sounds narrow, it was a very important match, earning three points that helped their overall standing internationally. 

In that couple of weeks of qualification matches, Qatar overcame a disappointing 0-3 defeat to Uzbekistan five days later. Yet, Oman’s overall level of performance at the qualifying window was enough to help them rise from 55th to 53rd in the world rankings and help them improve as they return to the next round of qualifiers. 

Qatar Ranks 5th in Asia

It will be noted that Qatar not only improved globally, but in Asia as well: they are now the 5th highest ranked Asian team behind Japan (17), Iran (20), South Korea (23), and Australia (24). Qatar’s purchase of matches against Iraq, Oman, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia (the last place in the FIFA rankings), and the UAE directly points to their qualification for the next World Cup in October. Global Rankings Highlights

Argentina remains in the top position, followed by Spain, France, England, and Brazil, completing the top five positions.Croatia comes back into the top 10, moving Italy down to 11 . Portugal and the Netherlands switched positions at 6th and 7th, and Germany moved into 9th place behind Belgium, which is in 8th place. In Concacaf, Mexico moved up to 13 (4 positions) after winning the Concacaf Gold Cup, and Costa Rica made the largest move continuing to rise 14 spots with the latest ranking update. Qatar is up, and it’s not just about talent, it is about consistency, which will be essential as they chase a spot on football’s biggest stage.

Read Also : FIFA Club World Cup 2025 now has an Official Airline Partner – Qatar Airways