Germany’s national football team, the four-time World Cup champions, just took a big hit in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings. They dropped from ninth to 12th place, as announced on Thursday. This slide comes after some tough times, putting even more spotlight on coach Julian Nagelsmann and the squad.
Remember how Germany lifted the World Cup trophy in Brazil back in 2014? Things went downhill fast since then. They crashed out in the group stages of both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The latest blow? A shocking 2-0 loss to Slovakia in a 2026 World Cup qualifier on September 5. It was Germany’s first-ever defeat to Slovakia, a team ranked outside the top 50 at the time. Ouch!
In Group E of the qualifiers, Germany has scraped just three points from their first two matches. Slovakia, fresh off that win and a victory over Luxembourg, leads the group with a perfect six points. Northern Ireland matches Germany on three points, while Luxembourg trails at the bottom. Only the group winner books a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup—runners-up head to playoffs. Pressure’s on!
Shifting to the top, Spain grabbed the number one spot in the FIFA rankings for the first time in over a decade, knocking France down to second. The 2022 World Cup winners, Argentina, hold third. Here’s the full top 10: Spain, France, Argentina, England, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, and Italy.
Big movers this month include Slovakia, who jumped 10 places to 42nd after their upset win. On the flip side, Zimbabwe tumbled nine spots to 125th.
Germany’s next chance to bounce back? They host Luxembourg on October 10 in a must-win qualifier. Can they turn things around and climb back up the FIFA rankings? Fans are watching closely.
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