The Netherlands has been the current number six in the world since Thursday, according to the FIFA world rankings of November 30. The Dutch team rises one place compared to last month and climbs over Portugal. Brazil is the biggest decliner in the top ten best football countries in the world and is only one place above the Dutch national team.
The increase brings the Netherlands close to the top five, which is currently formed by world champion Argentina, France, England, Belgium and therefore Brazil. Both the Three Lions as the Red Devils are currently rated higher by FIFA than the Seleção. The selection of national coach Fernando Diniz lost to Colombia (2-1) and Argentina (0-1) during the recent international match.
The new number three England defeated Malta (2-0), but was unable to win against North Macedonia (1-1). Yet that is reason enough for FIFA to pass Brazil. Belgium won against Serbia (1-0) and Azerbaijan (5-0) during the last international match and, according to the World Football Association, is still better than the Dutch team with a fourth place. Argentina and France remain number one and two.
The Dutch team has been on the rise in the FIFA world rankings in recent years. Last year, the Dutch team was also in sixth place for a while, after having not been in the top ten during a years-long crisis.
The two victories over Ireland (1-0) and Gibraltar (0-6) ensure that the Netherlands can dream of the top five. A good European Championship in 2024 can help with this, especially if France, England or Belgium are unable to perform in Germany.
The host country itself is once again outside the top ten in the FIFA rankings. According to the World Football Association, Germany is currently number sixteen in the world, below countries such as the United States (12), Morocco (14) and Santiago Gimenez’s Mexico (14). The crisis of German football is therefore also visible in the world rankings.
Finally, the rise of the Comoros is worth mentioning. The country gained the most ground during the last international match by climbing from 128th to 119th in the FIFA rankings. The Comoros managed to win over the Central African Republic (4-2), after which they defeated Ghana (1-0) at home. The country of former Ajax player Mohammed Kudus is, according to FIFA, the current number 61 in the world, which makes the performance of the Comoros even better.