England are one of the few national teams whose FIFA World Ranking has remain unchanged through the start of the 2026 World Cup. That’s even after the Three Lions put on a dominant performance, thrashing Croatia 4-2 in their debut. As England go up against Ghana in Group L, their ranking on the world’s chart stays unchanged.
England sit at No. 4 in the FIFA Rankings. With a grand total of 1,847.68 points, Thomas Tuchel’s side is behind Argentina, France, and Spain, who are first, second, and third, respectively. Looking downwards, England have Brazil and Morocco right on their tail, as the Verde-Amarela are sixth with 1,772.01 points and the Atlas Lions seventh with 1,769.98 units.
While a win over Ghana is paramount for England and would put them in prime position to clinch Group L in the 2026 World Cup, a victory wouldn’t move them up in the rankings, as Spain are still a bit out of reach. However, it would go a long way toward narrowing the gap. What would happen if England defeat Ghana is far more important to the 2026 World Cup, than the FIFA World Rankings itself, though.
England are without Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, and Cole Palmer at the 2026 World Cup due to coaching decisions that may come back to haunt them. For the time being, though, England have looked like a true contender for the championship. They played a solid game in their debut and are in North America to make some noise, even if they haven’t skyrocketed in the FIFA Rankings.
Marcus Rashford #11 of England.
England’s FIFA ranking history
While the FIFA Rankings tend to be much more important to fans than to national teams, England are on the verge of making history. Ranked the fourth-best team in the world, the Three Lions are one spot away from matching their best-ever ranking and two spots away from setting a new high.
England’s best year-end ranking was a third-place finish in 2023. No. 3 is the highest England have ever reached in the rankings. Needless to say, winning the 2026 World Cup would almost certainly propel England into the top three, and possibly all the way to No. 1.
As for their worst ranking, England were once ranked No. 27 in the world. However, the Three Lions proved that when a team hits rock bottom, the only way is up. In 1996, after being ranked the 27th-best team in the world, England made their biggest climb ever, rising to No. 12. The worst year-end ranking for England came in 1996, when they finished 21st in the world.
