Spain has reestablished itself as one of the clear favorites at the 2026 World Cup, now standing two wins away from a second world title following the 2010 triumph in South Africa. With France standing between them and a place in the final, a victory would also send La Roja to the top of the FIFA Rankings.
In the most recent official update, Spain sits third with 1,934.79 points. They entered the tournament in second with 1,874.71 points, meaning that despite accumulating more points during the competition, France’s stronger results pushed La Roja down one spot in the standings.
With France currently occupying first place, a win over Les Bleus in the semifinal would give Spain a significant rankings boost and reclaim the top spot in world soccer.
It would not be the first time they have sat there. Fueled by back-to-back European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012 and the 2010 World Cup triumph, Spain dominated the number one position in the FIFA Rankings for much of the period between 2008 and 2014, before a group-stage exit in Brazil brought that era to an end. They returned to the summit most recently between September 2025 and January 2026, and are now within reach of doing so again.
Lamine Yamal of Spain celebrates after scoring his first World Cup goal.
Spain have not been outside the FIFA top 10 since September 2017, when they slipped to 11th. Their all-time low sits at 25th, but that feels like a distant memory for a program that has been one of the sport’s most consistently dominant forces in recent years, with Lamine Yamal now ensuring the next generation of Spanish soccer looks just as bright.
see also
France vs Spain LIVE Updates: Minute-by-minute coverage of the 2026 World Cup semifinals
Spain’s recent dominance over France a positive omen
Despite France holding the higher ranking, it is Spain who have had the upper hand in the most important recent meetings between the two nations. Back-to-back victories in the Euro 2024 semifinal and the 2025 UEFA Nations League semifinal have given Yamal’s side significant momentum heading into yet another knockout stage collision, this time on the biggest stage of all.
