Sports
World Cup 2026: How are the Fifa world rankings decided?
The Fifa Men’s world rankings are used to decide the ranking order of the best national teams in world football.
First introduced in 1992, the system is used to depict how strong a team is, and the position of those rankings can be used in tournaments to determine seeding positions in World Cups and more.
Only eight nations have ever led the world rankings. France are currently top, while Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain have also spent time at the top of the table.
A points system is used to determine the rankings of nations and since 2018, has adopted the ‘Elo’ rating system that is used in chess.
BBC Sport have looked at how the rankings work and where every nation competing at the 2026 World Cup is currently ranked.