Doha: Having successfully secured their ticket to the FIFA 2026 World Cup in North America, the Qatar national team has reaped the rewards in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking. The Maroons advanced one position in the October table, released on Friday the 17th, to claim 52nd place in the world. This also confirms their status as the fifth-ranked team in both Asia and the Arab world.

On the continental stage, Qatar finds itself in strong company, holding the fifth position in Asia. They trail regional powerhouses Japan (19th globally), Iran (21st), South Korea (22nd), and Australia (25th). The rise in the global pecking order was cemented after the Maroons successfully secured their direct passage to the 2026 World Cup in North America. This achievement came via a draw against Oman and a victory over the United Arab Emirates in the Asian playoff Group A matches.

Within the Arab world, the rankings present a mixed picture. While Morocco, despite dropping one place, remains the highest-ranked Arab nation at 12th globally, other teams like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria all saw positive momentum after confirming their own World Cup qualifications. The Arab rankings are now led by Morocco, followed by Egypt (32nd), Algeria (35th), Tunisia (43rd), and Qatar (52nd).

In terms of points, the Maroons have amassed a total of 1461.6. This places them just behind Slovenia in 51st place with 1462.93 points, and narrowly ahead of Mali in 53rd, who have 1455.78 points. At the very summit of the global football hierarchy, Spain leads the ranking, followed by Argentina, France, England, and Portugal to round out the top five.