Despite Brazil’s elimination in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the five-time champions have not dropped in the FIFA rankings, with Morocco also remaining sixth despite its victory over Canada.
Brazil did not lose any ranking points after its 2-1 defeat to Norway, ranked 19th in the world, keeping its total at 1,804.92 points, while Norway gained 33.61 points from the victory.
Morocco, meanwhile, gained around 15.13 points from its 3-0 win over Canada, bringing its total to 1,803.99.
The situation has left many asking whether FIFA denied Morocco a place in the world’s top five.
Why Brazil remained ahead of Morocco in the FIFA rankings
The FIFA Men’s World Ranking, introduced in 1992 to rank national teams, has adopted the SUM ranking method since 2018.
The system is updated after every match and is designed to reduce the negative consequences of defeats in championship tournaments by exempting knockout-round losses from ranking-point deductions in final competitions.
According to FIFA’s ranking guidelines, “teams that earn negative points in the knockout round of a final competition (e.g., as a result of losing or even winning after a penalty shootout against a weaker team) do not lose any points.”
The guidelines emphasize that this condition was introduced to protect the ranking points of teams that reach the knockout stage.
If a match is decided by a penalty shootout, FIFA calculates the ranking points differently.
The losing team is treated as having drawn the match, while the winner is credited with a half-win.
Read More: Morocco climbs to 6th in FIFA rankings: How does the ranking system work?
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