The Black Stars of Ghana have climbed to 65th in the latest FIFA world rankings following a winning start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.
The four-time African champions moved up eight places from 73rd after edging past Panama 1–0 in their Group L opener on Wednesday night.
Caleb Yirenkyi scored the decisive goal at BMO Field in Toronto, securing all three points for Carlos Queiroz’s side.
The result leaves Ghana second in Group L, behind England, who began their campaign with a 4–2 victory over Croatia.
Ghana entered the tournament among the lower-ranked sides but have made an immediate impact, reflecting their upward movement in the global standings after just one match.
Elsewhere in the latest rankings, France have moved ahead of Spain into second place, while Germany now sit ninth. Co-hosts Mexico and the United States have also climbed, now ranked 13th and 15th, respectively.
Further shifts see Austria, South Korea, and Australia placed 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, while Norway are 27th and Côte d’Ivoire have risen to 30th.
The Democratic Republic of Congo sit 43rd following a 1–1 draw with Portugal, and Cape Verde are positioned just above Ghana in the updated table.
Attention now turns to Ghana’s next test against England at Gillette Stadium on June 23, before they conclude their group-stage campaign against Croatia four days later.
The focus will be on maintaining momentum as they pursue a return to the knockout phase for the first time since their memorable run to the quarter-finals in 2010.
