Argentina's Stunning Climb To No. 1: France Got Kicked Down Right Before The World Cup!

Alright, Emerald City! You gotta check out this FIFA Men's World Ranking shake-up that dropped moments before the 2026 World Cup starts! Lionel Messi and his Argentina squad are back at the number one spot, sending defending champs France tumbling down the list. Seriously, the World Cup hasn't even officially begun, and we've already got some wild drama at the top of the global football pyramid!

Messi's Crew Is Fired Up And Ready

Can you believe it? Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions from Qatar in 2022, haven't been ranked number one since way back in July of 2025. They were sitting at No. 3, minding their own business, then BOOM! Two huge tune-up victories launched them. They absolutely handled Iceland with a dominant 3-0 win and then took care of business against Honduras. You know Messi is leading the charge, and this team looks ready to defend its crown. They open their World Cup run in Group J on Tuesday in Kansas City, Missouri, facing Algeria. Then it's Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27, both down in Arlington, Texas. You know they're not looking past anyone.

France Falls, USMNT Slides, And Italy Stays Home

While Argentina is flying high, some other big names are feeling the sting. France, who was actually at the top spot, dropped two spots down to No. 3. Ouch! They lost a tune-up match to Ivory Coast, even though they bounced back to beat Northern Ireland. Spain held tight at No. 2, England is at No. 4, and Portugal at No. 5. Brazil, Germany, Belgium, Morocco, and Netherlands round out the top 10, with Morocco moving up one spot to No. 7 and Netherlands dropping one to No. 8. Nobody completely fell out of the top 10, though. And what about our co-hosts? Mexico is the highest ranked, moving up one spot to No. 14, ready to kick off their World Cup on Thursday afternoon against South Africa in Mexico City. Our own United States squad dropped one spot to No. 17. They'll face Paraguay on Friday night in Inglewood, California. And Canada? They're at No. 30 and open against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday afternoon in Toronto. The biggest shocker for sure has to be No. 12 Italy, the highest-ranked team not even participating in this World Cup. Can you imagine? Denmark at No. 21 and Nigeria at No. 26 are also missing out. It shows you how tough qualifying can be. So, the stage is set, folks! The World Cup is about to explode with action, and the rankings just gave us a major storyline before we even begin. Can Messi and Argentina hold onto that No. 1 spot and make another deep run? Will the USMNT surprise us from their No. 17 spot? Get ready, because the biggest tournament in soccer is here, and it's already got some serious heat. Don't miss a single match!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.