The Paraguayan national football team has continued its rise in the FIFA world ranking, climbing to 33rd in the latest global update on 7 October 2026. That is the side’s joint-highest position since 12 August 2021, when Paraguay also stood 33rd. After that, the team fell sharply, bottoming out at 62nd on 18 July 2024.
The recovery has since taken hold, and the Albirroja (the White and Red) now hold 1,552.30 points, up from 34th. The new high follows recent Paraguayan victories in international friendlies over Bolivia and Colombia.
Two games, two victories
Paraguay first beat Bolivia 2-0 in Washington in the first match of Gustavo Alfaro’s second spell in charge. Miguel Almirón scored both goals at Audi Field: the opener on 17 minutes and the second on 48 minutes. Bolivia’s best chance came from the penalty spot on 75 minutes, but Paraguayan goalkeeper Gastón Olveira turned the kick onto the post and the defence cleared.
Paraguay followed the win over Bolivia with a 1-0 victory against Colombia at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey. The chances were shared early on, Julio Enciso firing over from a Hugo Adrián Benítez move. After the break, Benítez, on his senior debut and the leading scorer in the Paraguayan Primera División, struck the only goal. Colombia, in the post-James Rodríguez era, pushed forward late on, but Paraguay held out without being seriously troubled.
Global standings and South American rivals
At the top of the latest FIFA world ranking, Spain retains its leading position with 2,011.57 points. They are followed by World Cup champions Argentina, who hold second place with 1,972.80 points. France is in third place with 1,958.86 points. England occupies the fourth spot with 1,925.59 points, and Portugal completes the top five with a total of 1,807.69 points.
Within the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), Brazil is the next highest-ranked team after Argentina, sitting in sixth place globally with 1,806.51 points. Following them is Colombia, which holds the 11th position with 1,735.80 points. Notably, Colombia recently suffered a defeat to Paraguay in a friendly match.
Further down the list, Uruguay is ranked 20th with 1,635.54 points, and Ecuador is in 24th place with 1,587.07 points. The remaining CONMEBOL nations are positioned later in the table, with Venezuela at 49th (1,465.87 points) and Chile close behind at 50th (1,458.97 points). Peru is ranked 53rd with 1,450.95 points, while Bolivia is the lowest-ranked team from the confederation, placed 78th with 1,332.52 points.
