Spain Set To Reclaim FIFA No. 1 Ranking, Argentina Lose Top Spot After 29-Month Reign

Spain's national football team is on the brink of reclaiming a piece of history. For the first time in 11 years, La Roja are set to climb back to the top of the FIFA world rankings, a position they last held in the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup.

This resurgence comes after a dominant run in the UEFA qualifiers, where Spain thrashed Bulgaria 3-0 before dismantling Turkey 6-0. Those results, combined with Argentina's recent slip-up, have opened the door for Spain's long-awaited return to number one.

Argentina's Reign Ends After 29 Months

Argentina, who had been perched at the top since April 2023, will now surrender their throne after nearly two and a half years of reign. Lionel Messi's side fell 1-0 to Ecuador before bouncing back with a 3-0 win over Venezuela - but that wasn't enough to protect their lead. The loss to 25th-ranked Ecuador proved particularly costly in FIFA's point calculations.

As of August, Argentina were leading with 1885.36 points. Now, both Spain (1867.09) and France (1862.03) have leapfrogged them thanks to consistent victories during the qualifiers. With only friendly matches scheduled in the coming months, Argentina has fewer opportunities to claw back points quickly.

A Historic Achievement With a“Curse”?

While Spain prepares to celebrate the symbolic return to the summit, there's an uncomfortable statistic hanging in the background. No team ranked number one heading into a World Cup has ever gone on to win it. This so-called“curse of the FIFA ranking” has struck all past top-ranked teams during football's showpiece tournament.

France, like Spain, has also climbed steadily and now edges closer to the number one spot themselves thanks to strong qualification results. But with the latest points system working against Argentina after their loss, Spain's rise is virtually sealed.

The official FIFA rankings confirming the new order are scheduled to be released on September 17, and unless something dramatic changes, La Roja will once again sit on top of world football, ending more than a decade of waiting.

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