Netherlands outpaces Portugal in a certain context
Fresh Take:
The Dutch may have been bounced from the Nations League A by Spain, but Portugal took a hit instead in the FIFA rankings. Yep, you heard that right. Even though they triumphed over Denmark in the quarter-finals, the Oranje's exit was more of a blessing for someone else.
Portugal dropped a notch on the podium, and Spain slid into second place, pushing France down to third. England (fourth) and Brazil (fifth) followed suit, while Belgium, Italy, and Germany maintained their rankings at eight, nine, and ten, respectively.
Curiously, Portugal didn't benefit directly from the Netherlands' exit from the competition. It seems that other teams may have done better, or simply accrued more points during the same period, causing the Euro 2016 champions to slip.
You might wonder how Belgium and Italy, who are close to Portugal in the rankings, didn't plummet as well. Well, it's all in the FIFA ratings game, kiddo. The rankings are based on a points system that factors in recent team results, the significance of the matches, and the competition's relative strength – among other considerations.
In the June 2025 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, Portugal snagged the seventh spot with a total of 1750.08 points. Belgium and Italy weren't too far behind with 1735.75 and 1718.31 points respectively, while Germany pulled up to 1716.98 points. Minor tweaks in match results and the points awarded for those games can cause slight position shifts in the rankings.
Long story short, Portugal's single-position drop in the rankings is probably due to the FIFA ranking system's intricate points-based system, where performances and points gained by other teams over the same period positively impacted the standings more than the Portuguese team's own results. [1][2]
- Surprisingly, Portugal's drop in the FIFA rankings might not be solely due to their own performance, as news reports suggest that events in European-leagues, such as Spain's rise and other teams' impressive showings, may have contributed to this slight setback.
- In the world of sports, especially football, the Portuguese national team's property value in terms of ranking might have suffered a minor blow, as Spain seized the second spot, pushing Portugal down to third in the June 2025 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings.
- Despite dropping a notch on the podium, Portugal continues to be a formidable force in European-leagues, competing with teams like Belgium and Italy, who currently hold fourth and tenth positions respectively, in these rankings.
