Argentina finished their Conmebol World Cup Qualifying campaign with a 1-0 loss to Ecuador, in a match that did not feature Lionel Messi. This defeat did not change their position at the top of the standings, as Lionel Scaloni’s team has already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
However, this loss will affect Argentina’s place in the FIFA rankings. Following Spain’s convincing wins over Bulgaria (3-0) and Turkey (6-0), and France’s victories against Ukraine (2-0) and Iceland (2-1) in UEFA qualifying, Argentina will fall to third place in the next update, ending their No. 1 position, which they held for two years and five months.
With this drop, Argentina will rank fifth in the history of national teams for most time spent at the top. They were just a few months shy of Spain’s record tenure from September 2011 to June 2014.
To put this in perspective, Belgium held the No. 1 spot for three years and four months from October 2018 to February 2022. Brazil has the longest record (six years and eight months from July 1994 to April 2001) and the second-longest (four years and seven months from June 2002 to January 2007) reign at No. 1.
Brazil won the World Cup in 2002 to claim the No.1 spot. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Argentina unlikely to regain No.1 before World Cup 2026
Argentina’s drop from the top rank seems unavoidable. They will play friendlies in October and November against Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Angola, and India. Meanwhile, Spain and France will continue to earn points in UEFA World Cup qualifying.
According to FIFA’s ranking system, victories in qualifiers or Nations League games are worth 25 points, while friendly wins are valued at just 10. This provides Spain and France with more chances to increase their lead before the 2026 tournament.
Projected FIFA rankings after September international window
- 1- Spain
- 2- France
- 3- Argentina
- 4- England
- 5- Portugal
- 6- Brazil
- 7- Netherlands
- 8- Belgium
- 9- Croatia
- 10- Italy