As national teams enter the final phase of preparation ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Spain and France played friendly matches whose results have paved the way for Argentina to reclaim the top spot in the FIFA rankings.
On Thursday, Spain played their final home fixture before departing for the United States, settling for a disappointing 1-1 draw against Iraq at Estadio Riazor in La Coruna. At the same time, France suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat to the Ivory Coast at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, as per the World Soccer Talk website.
As a result, Argentina will reclaim the top spot in the FIFA rankings when the next update is released on Monday. Until now, the top spot has been held by France, which rose to No. 1 during the March FIFA international window after overtaking Spain.
Before that, Luis de la Fuente’s side had ended Argentina’s reign in July 2025, with the South American champions having led the rankings since their triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Since the FIFA rankings were introduced in 1992, no team has entered a World Cup as the No. 1-ranked side and gone on to win the tournament. In 1994, Germany held the top spot but was beaten to the title by Brazil, while in 1998, Brazil arrived as the top-ranked team only to lose the final to France.
The Zinedine Zidane-led side entered the 2002 World Cup as the top-ranked team, but it was Brazil who emerged as champions. Four years later, Brazil once again arrived as the No. 1-ranked side, only to be beaten to the title by Italy.
In 2010, Brazil retained their position at the top of the FIFA rankings but fell short once more, as Spain went on to win the tournament.
The trend continued in subsequent editions. Spain entered the 2014 World Cup as the world’s highest-ranked team but suffered a shocking group-stage exit, while Germany, ranked second, lifted the trophy. In 2018, Germany arrived in Russia as the No. 1-ranked side yet failed to progress beyond the group stage, with France eventually emerging champions. Four years later in Qatar, Brazil topped the FIFA rankings before the tournament, but Argentina claimed the title after a memorable campaign led by Lionel Messi. Argentina will now hope to break the long-standing rankings jinx when they begin their World Cup defence next week.
