Almost four years after that World Cup final in Qatar, Kylian Mbappe has earned a small measure of satisfaction at the expense of Lionel Messi. In the latest FIFA rankings update, France moved up one spot to overtake Argentina.
On Friday, FIFA released the updated ranking of the world’s top national teams. The biggest news is that France jumped from third to second, pushing Messi and his teammates slightly further from the top, though they remain in the top three.
France’s victory over Brazil in the first friendly of the March international break was decisive in this shift, giving the Europeans an extra 3.96 points. With that addition, Mbappe’s side now has 1,873.96 points, just ahead of Argentina’s 1,873.33.
Spain remain at the top. The European champions hold first place with 1,879.12 points, a small but significant margin over their closest rivals. England sit fourth with 1,832.62 points after their 1-1 draw against Uruguay at Wembley Stadium.
Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates after scoring against Brazil.
Portugal also climb in the rankings
France’s victory over Brazil this week not only boosted Kylian Mbappe and his teammates to second place, it also negatively impacted Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Brazil lost 3.96 points as a result of the match, dropping them from fifth place. Portugal took advantage of this and, even before their game against Mexico this Saturday, moved into the top five with 1,760.38 points.
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Top 10 FIFA rankings after the latest update:
1- Spain – 1,879.12
2- France – 1,873.96
3- Argentina – 1,873.33
4- England – 1,832.62
5- Portugal – 1,760.38
6- Netherlands – 1,759.42
7- Brazil – 1,756.49
8- Morocco – 1,753.07
9- Belgium – 1,730.71
10- Germany – 1,728.49
