World champions Argentina return to top of FIFA rankings

World Cup winners Argentina have returned to the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in six...

World Cup winners Argentina have returned to the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in six years. Lionel Scaloni's side, which captured their third world title with a thrilling win against France in the Qatar World Cup final in December, won friendlies against Panama and Curacao during the March international break. Captain Lionel Messi achieved two milestones in those fixtures, netting his 800th career goal in a 2-0 victory over Panama before reaching 100 international goals as he scored a hat-trick in a 7-0 rout of Curacao. Argentina last topped the rankings in 2017, but La Albiceleste dropped as low as 12th the following year after an underwhelming campaign at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Argentina replace rivals Brazil at the summit after the Selecao suffered a surprise friendly loss to World Cup semi-finalists Morocco in March, a result that sees them drop to third. France are second in the rankings after their Euro 2024 qualification wins over the Netherlands and Ireland while the rest of the