Morocco climbed to sixth place in the FIFA world rankings, achieving their best-ever position, after Portugal drew with the Democratic Republic of Congo in the opening match of their 2026 World Cup campaign.
The Atlas Lions benefited from Portugal's stumble, as the draw cost the Portuguese side more than 12 ranking points, dropping them from fifth to seventh in the world with 1,755.09 points, while Morocco moved up to sixth with 1,755.62 points — a margin of just 0.53 points. Brazil, meanwhile, rose to fifth place.
The achievement is unprecedented in Moroccan football history, making Morocco the first Arab national team to reach sixth place in the FIFA rankings, cementing their status as the highest-ranked Arab side of all time.
Despite this milestone, Nigeria still holds the record for the best-ever ranking by an African team, having reached fifth place in the world in April 1994, buoyed by their strong results at the time and their qualification for the World Cup finals.
Morocco are scheduled to play their second match at the 2026 World Cup on Friday evening, when they face Scotland, who top Group 3 after opening their campaign with a victory over Haiti, while Morocco drew with Brazil in the first round.