Final FIFA date before ranking update: Spain and Portugal on the rise

September’s FIFA International Break stirred up the international scene. While Brazil ended its participation in the World Cup Qualifiers with a 1-0 defeat to Bolivia—already qualified and fielding an alternative squad—other national teams showed their strength ahead of the upcoming update to the FIFA rankings, scheduled for the 18th.

On social media, rumors are circulating that, due to the results of the FIFA International Break, Argentina will lose the top spot, and that Portugal will take Brazil’s fifth place...

– Wednesday, 10 September 2025

Check out a summary of the main national teams’ performances below.

Spain – The current Euro champion was the big standout. They beat Bulgaria 3-0 and thrashed Turkey 6-0 away, extending their unbeaten run to 19 matches.

Portugal – With Cristiano Ronaldo in inspired form, they scored five goals against Armenia and three against Hungary. CR7 scored three goals, reaching 943 in his career and equaling Carlos Ruiz as the top scorer in the history of the Qualifiers, both with 39 goals.

France – Defeated Ukraine 2-0 and then Iceland 2-1. Mbappé scored twice and surpassed Thierry Henry, becoming the second-highest scorer in the team’s history, behind only Giroud.

Netherlands – Drew with Poland and beat Lithuania 3-2, with two goals from Memphis Depay. The striker reached 52 goals, surpassed Van Persie, and became the all-time top scorer for the “Clockwork Orange.”

Argentina – Already qualified, they beat Venezuela 3-0, in what could be Messi’s farewell to the Argentine fans in official home matches. Afterwards, they lost 1-0 to Ecuador, without their number 10 on the pitch.

Uruguay – Secured qualification by beating Peru 3-0, with a show from Arrascaeta. Then, they drew 0-0 with Chile and finished fourth in the Conmebol Qualifiers.

Germany – Started poorly. Lost for the first time ever to Slovakia (2-0) and only managed to bounce back against Northern Ireland (3-1), with help from the bench. They have three points from six contested in Group A.

Italy – Starred in the most thrilling match of the FIFA International Break: a 5-4 win over Israel, with four goals after the 80th minute. Before that, they thrashed Estonia 5-0.

England – Beat Andorra 2-0 and finished the International Break with a 5-0 away win over Serbia. Each goal was scored by a different player, showing collective strength.

The double round made it clear: several teams are arriving strong for the 2026 World Cup , which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

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– Thursday, 10 July 2025

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 ATTILA KISBENEDEK - AFP or licensors

FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Brazil Argentina Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Mbappé Messi Comeback

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