EXPLAINED: How Lionel Messi's Argentina slipped below Lamine Yamal's Spain and Kylian Mbappe's France in latest FIFA rankings

The latest edition of the FIFA Men's team rankings is out and there are quite a few changes to the norm. For starters, Lionel Messi's Argentina, the World Champions, are no longer the top-ranked side in the sport, with Euro champions Spain taking the no.1 spot. Following their World Cup glory in December 2022, Argentina had attained the no.1 spot in rankings during the March 2023 update and stayed at the top ever since. That reign of more than two years has now come to an end in the latest updates in September 2025. It comes at a time when Argentina have endured a shock defeat to Ecuador in the World Cup qualifiers away from home. Argentina are now placed at third spot in the rankings with France moving to no.2

One game shouldn't decide the rankings as they are based on consistent performances over a period of time. However, that loss along with a few other factors dethroned Argentina from the top spot.

1) Spain's stellar run of form

Since their dominant win in Euro 2024, Spain have shown themselves to be the team to beat. A side filled with world-class talents of various prototypes, the Spaniards had an unbeaten campaign in the last Euro edition, covering themselves with glory at the end of the seven-match streak that ended with silverware. There were also technically unbeaten in normal time during the ten matches of Nations League 2025 where they finished runners-up after losing via penalty shootout to Portugal in the summit clash. Spain have also started the World Cup Qualifiers on solid footing, hammering Bulgaria 3-0 and Turkiye 5-0 to extend their unbeaten run in normal time to a phenomenal 19 games. Not surprisingly, they are the new top-ranked side in men's football.

2) Argentina's inconsistent phase

The World Champions have been far from invincible in the last 12 months. Since their victorious Copa America campaign in 2024, Argentina have been involved in 12 international matches. Of these, they have lost three, including the recent 0-1 defeat to Ecuador. The earlier losses were to Columbia and Paraguay last year, both via 1-2 margins. There are have also been two draws in these games, which points at Argentina's wobbly form.

3) The French resurgence

While they haven't been as dominant as the Spaniards, the French side have endured better returns than Argentina in the last 12 months. They made it to the semifinals of Euro 2024 and Nations League, losing to Spain in both fixtures respectively. In 2025, France have four wins from six games, with one of the losses being a high-scoring 4-5 to Spain in the Nations League semifinal. Kylian Mbappe's side have registered wins over Ukraine (2-0) and Iceland (2-1) to kickstart their World Cup qualifiers, with the last victory ensuring them a promotion in the FIFA Men's team rankings.