Beaten by Ivory Coast, France loses world number one ranking before World Cup

France approaches the 2026 World Cup without its world number one status. Beaten 2-1 by Ivory Coast on Thursday in Nantes in a warm-up match, Didier Deschamps’ side lost 7.89 points in the FIFA rankings and now find themselves behind Argentina and Spain.

England, Portugal and Brazil capitalized on France’s slip-up to close the gap. The Three Lions beat New Zealand (1-0), Portugal dominated Chile (2-1) and Brazil disposed of Egypt (2-1). It is the two Seleçao who earned the most points — 2.34 and 3.19 respectively — relative to their opponents’ rankings, while England scored only one goal against a New Zealand side ranked 85th.

France can still limit the damage: Kylian Mbappé and his teammates conclude their preparations on Monday evening at Stade Pierre-Mauroy against Northern Ireland (70th in the FIFA rankings). A victory would earn some additional points, but England and Portugal also have a final friendly scheduled for Wednesday, against Costa Rica and Nigeria, two nations not qualified for the World Cup.

Beyond the rankings, it is the draw that further complicates France’s situation. The Blues inherit the tournament’s toughest group, with Senegal and Norway as their main opponents. They begin against the Lions of Teranga on June 16, before facing Iraq and then Erling Haaland’s Norway. A path considerably more demanding than Brazil’s, who will face notably Haiti, or England’s, opposed to Panama. Portugal, for its part, must contend with the DRC, Uzbekistan and Colombia, an intermediate group.

While the FIFA ranking retains relative value, its day-to-day evolution during the World Cup promises to fuel comparisons between the major nations, starting with a France that will need to confirm on the pitch what the figures no longer grant them.