Doha: Qatar football team has once again returned to its highest-ever FIFA ranking, reaching the 34th spot.
The latest rankings issued by the sport’s governing body yesterday showed a one-spot rise from Qatar’s previous position.
Qatar’s previous high, 34, was in April before they dropped to 35th in the June rankings issued by FIFA.
Under Marquez Lopez’s guidance, Al Annabi have shown remarkable form this year, securing their second consecutive Asian Cup title apart from finishing the second round of FIFA World Cup 2026 – AFC Asian Qualifiers undefeated.
Qatar, who made their World Cup debut as the host nation in 2022, are now seeking direct qualification for the global football extravaganza which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The reigning Asian champions are bracing for a challenging journey to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time, having been drawn into a difficult Group A consisting of Iran, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea.
The qualifiers will determine the paths of 18 Asian teams that advanced from the second qualifying round with the winners and runners-up from each group securing direct qualification for the World Cup.
Qatar topped their group in the second round of qualifiers with an unbeaten record and will meet UAE in their opening third-round match at home on September 5. The qualifiers will continue until June 10, 2025.
The latest FIFA rankings follow a highly congested international calendar which saw both UEFA and Copa America being held apart from several friendly matches. A total of 125 matches took place worldwide, causing significant changes to the FIFA rankings.
Copa America champions Argentina maintained their top position in the rankings, while France, who reached the Euro semi-finals, retained second place despite losing the last-four clash to eventual champions Spain.
La Roja, meanwhile, rose to third place, Euro finalists England to fourth, while Brazil fell to fifth after they were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
In the top 50, Turkiye and Venezuela made remarkable progress, jumping to 26th (+16) and 37th (+17), respectively, while New Zealand returned to the top 100 after a seven-year absence, jumping 13 places to 94th.
