Morocco have moved into fifth place in the live FIFA men’s world ranking, overtaking Brazil after the five-time world champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Australia on Friday, September 25.
The Atlas Lions remain on 1,803.99 points, while Brazil’s draw cost the Seleção approximately 2.02 ranking points, dropping them from 1,804.92 to around 1,802.90. That leaves Morocco roughly 1.09 points ahead of Brazil in the live standings.
It is an important milestone, but there is one distinction to make: Morocco are fifth in FIFA’s live ranking, not yet fifth in the latest officially published ranking.
FIFA’s most recent official table, released on July 20, still lists Morocco sixth with 1,803.99 points and Brazil fifth with 1,804.92. FIFA states that live rankings remain unofficial until international matches are validated, with the next official ranking scheduled for October 7, 2026.
If Morocco remain fifth when that table is published, it would establish a new official national record.
Brazil’s draw was enough to move Morocco ahead
Before Friday’s international matches, the difference between Brazil and Morocco was exceptionally small.
Brazil entered the window on 1,804.92 points, only 0.93 points ahead of Morocco’s 1,803.99. That meant even a relatively small negative result for Brazil had the potential to reverse the order.
Australia’s 1-1 draw with Brazil did exactly that.
The result reduced Brazil’s projected total to around 1,802.90, while Morocco had not yet played during the September window. With Morocco therefore remaining temporarily on 1,803.99, the Atlas Lions moved above Brazil into fifth.
The change places Morocco among world football’s leading national teams, another step in a rise that is easier to appreciate in the context of Atlas Lions Insider’s detailed Morocco FIFA ranking history.
Morocco’s official record is still sixth place
Until FIFA publishes its next table, Morocco’s official record remains the sixth place achieved on July 20, 2026.
That position followed Morocco’s run to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup and lifted the Atlas Lions from seventh to sixth with a gain of almost 49 ranking points.
The rise continued a remarkable long-term transformation in Morocco’s world standing. The national team fell as low as 95th in September 2010, before gradually rebuilding and eventually returning to the global top 10.
Atlas Lions Insider’s Morocco FIFA ranking history traces that progression from the low point of 2010 through the post-2022 surge and the record sixth-place position reached in July 2026.
Morocco’s recent World Cup performances have played a major role in that rise. The Atlas Lions became the first African and Arab team to reach a World Cup semi-final in 2022 before reaching the quarter-finals again in 2026. The full progression across Morocco’s tournament appearances is documented in Atlas Lions Insider’s Morocco World Cup record.
The live move to fifth now puts another potential landmark within reach.
Morocco can change the ranking again against Gabon
Morocco’s position is not locked.
The Atlas Lions open their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Gabon in Rabat on September 25, meaning their own live points total can change again later Friday.
Morocco will also face Lesotho on September 29 before meeting Ghana in a friendly on October 4.
Because FIFA’s ranking formula takes the match result, opposition strength and importance of the fixture into account, the result against Gabon could alter Morocco’s 1,803.99 total.
The qualifying campaign is part of a much longer continental record. Atlas Lions Insider’s Morocco AFCON qualifying record tracks the national team’s campaigns, results and milestones across more than five decades.
Brazil also have further matches during the same international window, so the race for fifth could shift again before FIFA publishes its October 7 standings.
What fifth place would mean for Morocco
Fifth would represent Morocco’s highest official FIFA ranking if the position survives until the October 7 publication.
The Atlas Lions only reached their current official record of sixth in July, having previously climbed to eighth earlier in 2026.
The latest movement therefore continues a rapid rise into the highest tier of the international ranking rather than representing an isolated jump.
It also keeps Morocco comfortably positioned as Africa’s highest-ranked national team.
That rise is being supported by a player pool with considerable depth and market value. The Atlas Lions Market Value Tracker follows Morocco’s 50 most valuable players, current senior-squad representation and emerging U23 talent, providing another way to track how the national-team pool is developing alongside Morocco’s rise in the FIFA ranking.
The wider transformation of Moroccan football is also reflected in the national team’s competitive record, player development and growing presence at the highest level. Atlas Lions Insider’s evergreen Morocco national football team guide provides the broader history, major achievements and context behind the Atlas Lions’ development into one of international football’s leading sides.
However, the current fifth-place position should still be described as live or provisional until FIFA publishes the next official ranking.
That distinction matters because international matches are still being played and both Morocco and Brazil have opportunities to gain or lose points before October 7.
Morocco and Brazil are now separated by just over one point
The immediate picture is unusually tight:
Morocco: 1,803.99 points
Brazil: approximately 1,802.90 points
Difference: approximately 1.09 points
Brazil’s draw therefore did not create a large gap. It simply reversed what had already been one of the closest battles near the top of the FIFA ranking.
Morocco had finished the July ranking just 0.93 points behind Brazil.
Now the Atlas Lions hold the narrow advantage.
The next question is whether they can keep it.
Morocco’s AFCON qualifier against Gabon later Friday provides the first opportunity to strengthen the position before further matches against Lesotho and Ghana.
For the moment, though, the live FIFA ranking has a new No. 5:
Morocco.
Ranking status
Live position: 5th
Live points before Morocco vs Gabon: 1,803.99
Previous official position: 6th
Previous official points: 1,803.99
Brazil live position: 6th
Brazil projected points: approximately 1,802.90
Last official FIFA ranking: July 20, 2026
Next official FIFA ranking: October 7, 2026
FIFA explicitly notes that its live ranking remains unofficial until matches are approved as international “A” matches. Morocco’s official record therefore remains sixth until the next published table confirms any change.
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