Panama Breaks Into Top 10 in Latest GNC Tackle World Ranking

QB Cristian Restrepo was ranked third in QBR at the 2024 IFAF World Junior Championship in Edmonton and is growing into the position

Panama’s rise in the Gridiron Nations Championship Elo rankings is now impossible to ignore.

Fresh off its title run at the Central American Four Nations, Panama has climbed into the GNC Elo top 10, having previously sat just outside that group in 11th. The Central American champions now stand 7th overall on 1519.1 points in the latest active-team rankings, tucked just behind Mexico and ahead of Australia and Brazil.

Three of the current top eight nations in the Gridiron Nations Elo are now directly tied to the competition calendar: Canada at No. 2 with 1551.5, Mexico at No. 6 with 1520.2, and Panama at No. 7 with 1519.1. The GNC continues to bring together nations that are performing at a genuinely elite level in the global tackle landscape.

Panama’s movement up the board comes after a convincing Central American campaign that opened with a 67-0 blowout of El Salvador and ended with the regional title. The result underlines the program’s momentum and gives the country new credibility heading into future GNC play. For a nation that has steadily invested in senior men’s tackle football, the Elo table is another indicator of Panama's improving competitive standing and willingness to compete.

At the top of the rankings, repeat IFAF European Champion Austria remains the clear leader at 1674.9, with Canada and Finland rounding out the top three. Denmark, Italy and Mexico fill out the next tier, but Panama’s ascent has tightened the race immediately below them. The gap between Mexico and Panama is now almost negligible, a sign that the battle for position just behind the traditional European powers is becoming more competitive.

From a GNC perspective, that is exactly the point. The competition was built to create meaningful, recurring matchups among serious international programs, and the current Elo picture reinforces that.

Canada remains one of the world’s premier teams. Mexico continues to hold a strong place in the upper tier. Panama, meanwhile, has forced its way into that conversation with results that can no longer be dismissed as regional noise.

The latest rankings suggest the next phase of GNC competition will feature three of the world’s top eight active teams, with Panama now arriving as one of the fastest-rising programs in international football, with the bonus of home-field advantage this December.

	Active Teams Global Elo Ranking
1	Austria	1674.9
2	Canada	1551.5
3	Finland	1551.2
4	Denmark	1532.5
5	Italy	1526.3
6	Mexico	1520.2
7	Panama	1519.1
8	Australia	1514.6