AFCON surge lifts Senegal as USMNT, Mexico and Canada slip in FIFA rankings

Goal reports the January 2026 FIFA World Ranking was heavily influenced by the conclusion of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, with several African nations making major gains that reshaped the table.

Senegal climbed seven places to 12th overall after an impressive AFCON run, a rise that coincided with the United States and Mexico slipping to 15th and 16th respectively. Canada, described as the third-highest-ranked CONCACAF team, dropped two places to 29th after Nigeria moved to 26th and Algeria rose to 28th; Jesse Marsch’s side was explicitly named in the reshuffle.

Looking ahead, the United States will not return to action until March, when they are scheduled to play friendlies against Belgium and Portugal. Mexico has several preparation matches under Javier Aguirre — facing Panama this Thursday, travelling to Bolivia on Sunday and hosting Iceland in Querétaro on Feb. 25 as Aguirre fine-tunes his squad ahead of naming his World Cup list.

Key Topics

Sports, Senegal, Usmnt, Mexico, Canada, Afcon