Ghana climb eight places to 65th in FIFA rankings as Black Stars top movers’ list

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ghana/nNBjHale/"]Ghana[/a] have emerged as the biggest climbers in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking update, jumping eight places from 73rd to 65th on the back of their dramatic opening-night win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/panama/OWKqbCfi/"]Panama[/a] at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/singida-black-stars/jTBgEvMq/"]Black Stars[/a] added a hefty 33.83 ranking points to their tally and now sit on 1,380.71 points which is the most significant single-match rise of any nation in the world in the latest update.[/p][p]The leap is a direct dividend of the points-weighted match scenario engineered for Carlos Queiroz’s side at BMO Field on Wednesday.[/p][embed guid="e3590305-d1ef-45b7-8586-25af1317bbc9" url="https://x.com/_owurakuampofo/status/2068320725279113610?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The FIFA ranking algorithm rewards wins against higher-ranked opposition disproportionately and Panama, who entered the tournament 34th,  were ranked a full 39 places above Ghana before the game.[/p][p]The Black Stars had been the lowest-ranked side in Group L, the lowest-ranked African side in the entire 48-team field, and arrived in Toronto on the back of a winless run that stretched across six matches.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yirenkyi-caleb/INmgLCSF/"]Yirenkyi[/a]’s record-breaking strike on [a href="https://www.flashscore.com.gh/news/ghana-take-down-panama-after-clutch-last-minute-goal-from-yirenkyi/GltT9Xan/" target="_blank"]Wednesday evening[/a] therefore did more than just deliver three points and a near-perfect platform in Group L.[/p][p][b]It also moved the needle on a ranking that has been a sore point for the four-time Africa Cup of Nations champions for the past 18 months, with Ghana having fallen as low as 76th during the qualifying campaign under Otto Addo.[/b][/p][p]Despite the eight-place world leap, Ghana remain stuck on 14th in Africa, exactly where they have been positioned in the continental table for much of the past year. [/p][p]Should Queiroz’s side stun fourth-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a] in Foxboro on Tuesday, the ranking points on offer would be enormous given England’s tally of well over 1,800 points.[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /][p]Even a draw would yield a healthy lift. A defeat would barely sting; the algorithm essentially expects Ghana to lose that fixture. The same forgiving math applies to the closer against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/croatia/K8aznggo/"]Croatia[/a] in Philadelphia.[/p][p]At the top of the world ranking, the picture is unchanged from the pre-tournament list released on June 11. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a] remain world number one. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a] second, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a] third and England fourth, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a] rounding out the top six.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] hold sixth among African nations’ best-ever placings in the modern era and continue to be Africa’s flag-bearer on the global table.[/p][image alt="Owuraku Ampofo" id="345f5fd0-6a26-4f45-8078-6462582c5da7" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="fa29d78d-923e-48bb-b65a-752cf5f0c344" original-width="1200" original-height="381" /]