Kylian Mbappe’s France reclaims top spot in FIFA Ranking ahead of Messi’s Argentina before World Cup quarterfinals

The 2026 World Cup is entering its final stages, with just eight teams remaining and the quarterfinals set to begin on Thursday, July 9th. In the latest FIFA Rankings update ahead of the next round, Kylian Mbappe‘s France has moved back to the top, nudging Lionel Messi’s Argentina off the summit.

Mbappe was the difference-maker in France‘s 1-0 Round of 16 win over Paraguay, converting the decisive penalty. The victory earned Les Bleus 9.26 additional ranking points, pushing their total to 1,925.86 and returning them to first place.

Argentina, meanwhile, engineered a stunning comeback to advance, overturning a 2-0 deficit against Egypt to win 3-2 in another Messi masterclass. The victory was not enough to hold onto top spot in the rankings, however, and the Albiceleste now sit second with 1,925.15 points.

Argentina had entered the tournament ranked first after France’s shock group-stage loss to Ivory Coast sent Les Bleus tumbling to third behind Spain. With both nations now among the last eight, the points accumulated in the knockout rounds have been enough to flip the order, with France now leading Argentina by just 0.71 points.

Six of the top 10 nations remain in the quarterfinals

The 2026 World Cup quarterfinals have already made history, marking the first time Brazil, Germany, and Italy are all absent at this stage of the competition. Despite that shake-up, six of the eight remaining teams were ranked inside the FIFA Rankings‘ top 10 before the tournament began.

Argentina (1st), Spain (2nd), France (3rd), England (4th), Morocco (7th), and Belgium (9th) all entered the World Cup among the world’s elite. The two sides who gate-crashed the party are Switzerland, who came in ranked 19th with 1,650.06 points, and Norway, Erling Haaland’s side, who were 31st with 1,557.44 points.

FIFA Rankings top 10 ahead of the World Cup quarterfinals

1. France — 1925.86 points.
2. Argentina — 1925.15 points.
3. Spain — 1912.34 points.
4. England — 1871.39 points.
5. Brazil — 1804.92 points.
6. Morocco — 1803.99 points.
7. Portugal — 1787.85 points.
8. Belgium — 1778.36 points.
9. Netherlands — 1775.54 points.
10. Mexico — 1754.30 points.