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It's been a great year for international football. We've had a summer of intense international footballing action courtesy of the various continental competitions, namely Euro 2020, 2021 Copa America and the Gold Cup.
When so many high-profile tournaments take place, the consequences of their results will reflect in the FIFA World Rankings. FIFA have just announced the latest world rankings for the month of September.
Teams like Italy, England, Argentina, Brazil and Denmark have all had great summers and they have climbed higher in the rankings. England have matched their best ranking position from September 2012.
Several powerhouses like Germany, the Netherlands and Uruguay are missing from the top 10. Without further ado, let's take a look at the FIFA World Rankings for the month of September 2021.
Note: India is currently ranked #107 as per the FIFA rankings.
#10 Denmark | Points: 1658
Denmark's valiant displays at Euro 2020 have now truly earned them a place among the elite. They've moved into the top 10 with 1658 points. The Danes gained 16 points in the last month.
They've followed up their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 with three back-to-back wins. Denmark won all three of their FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in September. They beat Scotland 2-0 and Faroe Island 1-0 before dispatching Israel 5-0 in the span of a week.
Denmark have a promising squad replete with hard-working and talented individuals. Players like Mikkel Damsgaard, Martin Braithwaite, Thomas Delaney and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have all been performing well.
It certainly looks like the Danes can keep their momentum going for the foreseeable future and maybe climb even higher up in the FIFA World Rankings.
#9 Mexico | Points: 1666
Mexico made it to the finals of the Gold Cup and the Nations League but lost out to the United States in both tournament showdowns. They've bettered their points tally this month. Mexico have gained eight points since August in the FIFA World Rankings, thanks to two wins and a draw in the month of September.
Mexico played three FIFA World Cup Qualifiers this month. They registered wins against Jamaica and Costa Rica before settling for a draw against Panama. Mexico have quite a few extremely talented players in their squad.
Raul Jimenez's return will be a major boost while Hirving Lozano is another impressive player they are reliant on. El Tri will look to replicate their success in the coming months as they look to secure qualification for the 2022 World Cup.
#8 Spain | Points: 1673
Spain did make it to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 but they weren't all that convincing. But at present, La Roja is pretty much a work in progress. They've come down a place and are sitting eighth in the rankings right now.
A 2-1 loss to Sweden in their first FIFA World Cup Qualifier in September has certainly hurt them. But Luis Enrique's men bounced back to cop back-to-back wins, albeit over relatively weaker opposition in Georgia and Kosovo.
Spain have a young side and they are evidently building towards a bright future. They have some incredibly talented youngsters like Pedri, Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo on their roster and it won't be long before they're back to their best.
#7 Portugal | Points: 1675
Buoyed by the individual brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo and a few other world-class players, Portugal have managed to climb a spot in the rankings. They managed to win all three of their matches in the month of September.
They the Republic of Ireland thanks to an incredible brace from Cristiano Ronaldo in the dying embers of the game. Ronaldo moved ahead of Iran's Ali Daei to become the top scorer in men's international football and now has 111 goals to his name for Portugal.
They subsequently beat Qatar 3-1 in a friendly before beating Azerbaijan 3-1 in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier. Portugal gained 14 points in September to climb from eighth to seventh.
#6 Argentina | Points: 1725
Argentina ended their 28-year drought in the Copa America by winning the title thanks to some Lionel Messi brilliance this past summer. It was also Messi's first major trophy in the international circuit.
La Albiceleste have maintained their place in the FIFA Rankings after gaining 14 points in the month of September. Their FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Brazil was dramatically suspended after 10 minutes of play due to a breach of Covid-19 protocols.
On either side of that, Argentina beat Venezuela and Bolivia with a Lionel Messi hat-trick making the win against the latter a memorable outing.
#5 Italy | Points: 1735
Italy's unbeaten streak has stretched to 37 games. But they've had a rather underwhelming month of September. The Azzurri have lost nine points since August but remain fifth in the FIFA Rankings table.
Italy settled for draws against Bulgaria and Switzerland in a weak follow-up to their triumphant run at Euro 2020. But they thumped Lithuania 5-0 in their latest outing and are still sitting atop Group C in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Italy are a complete team with an adequate amount of experience and youth in their ranks. They've also become a sturdy unit under Roberto Mancini and will be looking to keep their unbeaten streak in tact in the coming months.
#4 France | Points: 1754
France have also dropped a place after losing seven points from their tally in the last month. They turned in a couple of extremely underwhelming performances, collecting two draws and one win in three FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
France were held to a 1-1 draw by Bosnia and Herzegovina before they settled for another 1-1 draw against Ukraine. They bounced back to beat Finalnd 2-0 and are still leaders of Group D in the World Cup Qualifiers.
Finland are the only side to have registered a single win apart from France in Group D after five rounds of matches.
#3 England | Points: 1755
Gareth Southgate seems to have worked out an effective formula for the Three Lions. They have had a wonderful summer where they finished as runners-up at Euro 2020.
England have been able to sustain their momentum and registered back-to-back 4-0 wins over Hungary and Andorra in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. However, they settled for a 1-1 draw with Poland but gained exactly 2.61 points in September to climb to third in the FIFA Rankings.
It is the first time that England have reached the top three since September 2012. They have an extremely talented group of players and, more importantly, Southgate is in charge of a very young squad. So England are expected to keep this good run of their going for a fair amount of time.
Fans will be hoping that the Three Lions will be able to mount a challenge for the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Qatar next year.
#2 Brazil | Points: 1811
Brazil were gutted after losing the final of the 2021 Copa America against Argentina. But they deserve credit for the consistency they've shown on the international circuit in recent times.
Brazil's extended their unbeaten streak in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. They bookended their suspended game against Argentina with wins over Chile and Peru. The Selecao have won all of their eight World Cup Qualifiers so far and are one of the favourites heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
They have some world-class talent in their squad. But it's evident that the side needs some fine tuning before they can become a dominant force which can challenge for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
#1 Belgium | Points: 1832
Despite winning no major trophies, the Belgian Red Devils retain their position at the top of the FIFA Men's World Rankings. Roberto Martinez's side just seem to lose steam at crucial junctures in cup competitions. But otherwise, it's difficult to find a team that can be so dominant on their day.
Belgium have had a good September. They won all three of their 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers this month. They beat Estonia 5-2 before beating Czech Republic 3-0 and Belarus 1-0, to stay on top of Group E with five wins in six matches.
Belgium are still well clear of the chasing pack and it looks like they will remain at the top of the rankings for quite a while longer, at the very least.
