Argentina reclaim FIFA's top ranking hours before World Cup 2026 kicks off

Defending champions Argentina enter the 2026 World Cup as the world’s top-ranked side after FIFA’s latest rankings update placed them first, displacing France just hours before the tournament’s opening game in North America.

Lionel Scaloni’s side climbed to the summit on the back of warm-up friendly wins over Iceland and Honduras, with Lionel Messi’s men edging past France, who dropped two places to third. Spain, who drew with Iran before beating Peru, held firm in second. England are fourth, one place above Portugal.

Morocco are among the notable movers further down the table, reaching seventh — their highest-ever position since the Men’s World Ranking was introduced in 1993. That rise sees them overtake the Netherlands, while Iran have climbed to 20th for the first time.

The rankings carry practical weight at this tournament. Under FIFA’s competition regulations, the world ranking serves as a tiebreaker to determine the final standings within groups when teams finish level, and to identify which eight third-placed sides advance to the Round of 32 if multiple teams remain tied after earlier criteria are applied.

History offers a cautionary note for Argentina. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Brazil entered as the top-ranked nation but were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Croatia; Argentina, ranked second at the time, went on to lift the trophy. Four years earlier in Russia, defending champions Germany were ranked No. 1 and failed to escape the group stage, while eventual winners France were seventh and runners-up Croatia were 20th.

On paper, Group D — containing Turkey, Australia, Paraguay and host nation the United States — stands out as the most competitive, being the only group in which every team ranks inside the top 50.

FIFA World Rankings (top 10)

1. Argentina
2. Spain
3. France
4. England
5. Portugal
6. Brazil
7. Morocco
8. Netherlands
9. Belgium
10. Germany