According to a report by L’Équipe, after a draw against Israel and a victory over Italy during the most recent international break, France are in a position where they could overtake Argentina in the FIFA world rankings to claim the number one spot.
However, for this to occur Les Bleus would have to rely on Argentina being unable to defeat Peru on Wednesday during the 2026 World Cup qualifier. If that would occur then France would end the year as the best ranked team in the world.
The last time that France was top of the FIFA rankings was in September 2018 after the nation had won its second World Cup. Argentina have spent the entirety of 2024 as the best-placed team, having occupied the top spot since April 2023.
A growing rivalry between the two nations has developed since the 2022 World Cup final and has been fuelled by some unsavoury scenes from the South American side, such as over the summer when some of the Argentine squad were caught singing a racist and transphobic chant about Les Bleus.
