Argentina, led by striker Lionel Messi, held on to the top spot in the FIFA men’s soccer rankings. File Photo by Chris Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
Fresh off a second-consecutive Copa America title, Argentina kept the top spot in FIFA’s men’s world soccer rankings, which were updated Thursday. Euro champion Spain jumped to No. 3 while the United States dropped five spots.
France, Euro runner-up England and Brazil joined Argentina and Spain in the Top 5. Spain moved up five spots in the rankings after beating England in the Euro finale Sunday in Berlin. England climbed one spot, replacing Brazil at No. 4. Advertisement
Belgium sits at No. 6 in the rankings, down from No. 3. The Netherlands held the No. 7 spot. Portugal dropped to No. 7 from N. 6. Colombia, the Copa runner-up, jumped to No. 9 from No. 12. Italy held the No. 10 spot.
The American men, who failed to advance past the group stage at Copa America, dropped to No. 16 from No. 11.
No. 37 Venezuela, which advanced to the Copa America quarterfinal, was the biggest climber, moving up from No. 54.
The next update to the men’s world rankings will be Sept. 18. Argentina has held the No. 1 spot in the men’s rankings since 2023 after beating France in the 2022 World Cup. Advertisement
Spain, which won the women’s World Cup in 2023, still holds the top spot in the women’s rankings, which were last updated in June. No. 2 France, No. 3 England, No. 4 Germany and the No. 5 United States are among the other top women’s teams.
