Lionel Messi and Argentina will maintain their top spot in the FIFA rankings. This will be confirmed on Wednesday, October 23, when the organization updates the standings following the latest international matches. Key competitions included the Conmebol World Cup Qualifiers and the UEFA Nations League latest matchdays.
During their last two Qualifiers matches, Lionel Scaloni‘s team secured a 1-1 draw against Venezuela in Maturin and thrashed Bolivia 6-0 at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental, with a brilliant performance from Messi, who scored a hat-trick and provided two assists.
These results not only keep Argentina atop the South American qualifying standings with 22 points for the 2026 World Cup but also extend their dominance globally, holding onto the No. 1 FIFA ranking for the longest period in the national team’s history.
Argentina first climbed to the top of the rankings in April 2023, following their World Cup triumph in Qatar, and they have remained there 18 months—surpassing their previous record of 11 months between April 2016 and March 2017.
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with teammate Thiago Almada (Daniel Jayo/Getty Images)
Trailing them are France and Spain. Didier Deschamps’ French side, without Kylian Mbappe, defeated Israel and Belgium. Meanwhile, Luis de la Fuente’s Spain outplayed Denmark and Serbia. Elsewhere, Brazil remains in fifth place, closing the gap on fourth-ranked England, after securing wins over Chile and Peru in their Conmebol qualifiers.
see also
Argentina legend Gabriel Batistuta picks the greatest player in soccer history
Top 10 FIFA Rankings (as of October 22, 2024)
- Argentina
- France
- Spain
- England
- Brazil
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Colombia
- Italy
Argentina’s upcoming matches
Looking ahead, Argentina will resume their World Cup qualifying campaign in November, facing Paraguay on Thursday, November 14, in Asunción, and Peru on Tuesday, November 19, at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental.
