National teams are completing preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Recent friendly results have opened the way for Argentina to return to the number one position in the FIFA rankings.
Spain ended its final home match before traveling to the United States with a 1-1 draw against Iraq. France suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Ivory Coast in the same international window.
Argentina is therefore expected to reclaim first place when the next FIFA rankings are published on Monday. France had moved to the top in March after overtaking Spain. Spain had earlier ended Argentina’s long stay at number one in July 2025. Argentina had held the position since winning the 2022 World Cup.
Since the rankings began in 1992, no team starting a World Cup as number one has gone on to win the tournament. Germany in 1994, Brazil in 1998 and Brazil again in 2006 all finished as runners-up or lower despite entering as the highest-ranked side.
