Kinshasa, July 21st, 2026 (CPA).- The Leopards of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have climbed to 7th place in Africa and 41st in the world in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) rankings, published on Monday on its website following the 2026 World Cup, as consulted on Tuesday by CPA. Following this World Cup, the DRC has therefore climbed five places, moving from 46th to 41st. The first place in the world goes, unsurprisingly, to Spain, which has lifted the trophy at the expense of Argentina, which comes in the second place. France, England, Brazil, Morocco, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Mexico, Colombia, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Italy, the United States, Japan, Senegal, Norway and Uruguay (20th) complete the top 20 in the world rankings.
Morocco and Senegal rule the roost in Africa
On the African continent, Morocco and Senegal – the two finalists in the most recent Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2025) – continue to dominate African football. They occupy first and second place respectively. They are followed by Egypt (24th in the world), Nigeria (26th in the world), Algeria (29th in the world), Ivory Coast (31st in the world), DR Congo (41st in the world), Cameroon (43rd in the world), Mali (53rd in the world), South Africa (54th in the world), Tunisia (57th in the world), Burkina Faso (62nd in the world), Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Gabon, Uganda, Angola, Zambia and Benin, which also feature in the African top 20.
The next rankings will be published on October 8th, 2026, following the first and the second match days of the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which are fast approaching. The DRC will kick off their campaign at home against Equatorial Guinea, before travelling to Harare in Zimbabwe for the second match day.