Belgium will end the year as No. 1 ahead of world champions France in the global rankings released by FIFA on Thursday.
Belgium, beaten by France in the World Cup semi-finals, edge Didier Deschamps' team by one ranking point.
Belgium have 1,727 points by FIFA's calculations to 1,726 for France. Brazil are third on 1,676.
FIFA noted on their web site that France, who were ranked No. 9 last Christmas, were the year's "Best Mover" after a "stellar 2018...having gained more points (165) since December 2017 than any other nation."
FIFA rankings, December 20:
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