Red Devils see ranking advantage evaporate after loss to France
The 0‑1 defeat of the Red Devils against France not only caused sporting pain, but also reduced the margin with the Netherlands on the live FIFA ranking to an almost imperceptible difference. After a disappointing evening at the King Baudouin Stadium, Belgium saw its points total drop to 1779.63, while the Netherlands fell to 1778.65.
Loss to France and direct ranking impact
Belgium lost 0‑1 to France on Monday at the King Baudouin Stadium. Michael Olise scored the only goal in the 88th minute. Because of this defeat, the Red Devils contributed 5.17 points to the live ranking.
After the match, Belgium remains in eighth place with 1779.63 points, while the Netherlands occupies ninth place with 1778.65 points; the difference is only 0.98 point. In the official FIFA ranking of 20 July, the gap was then 2.82 points, with 1778.36 and 1775.54 points respectively.
The Netherlands had earlier in the same international window secured a 2‑1 victory over Serbia, adding 3.81 points to the live ranking. As a result, the situation at the top of the table has become especially tight, with Spain still leading on 2002.34 points, followed by Argentina and France.
Belgium risks being overtaken by the Netherlands in the FIFA rankings
Upcoming international matches and chances for a turnaround
Orange will play Thursday evening in Thessaloniki against Greece in the Nations League, while Belgium will only take the field on Friday at Standard's stadium against Turkey. A Dutch victory in Greece could cause Orange to temporarily leap above Belgium on the live ranking.
The Red Devils could respond a day later themselves against Turkey, and that match also counts toward the next official update of the FIFA ranking.
FIFA emphasizes that the current standing is only a live ranking; only when all international matches have been processed and approved as A‑internationals will the list become official. The last official ranking dates from 20 July and the next will be published on 7 October.
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In short, the Red Devils retain their eighth place, but the lead over the Netherlands has now virtually disappeared, underscoring the urgency to collect points quickly.