France lose FIFA top spot to Argentina after defeat by Côte d'Ivoire | OneFootball

France have surrendered first place in the FIFA rankings to Argentina after a 1-2 defeat by Côte d'Ivoire on Thursday, dropping to third shortly before the World Cup.

According to L'Équipe, the latest list puts Argentina first and France third. Argentina have not played since the first of April, when they beat Zambia 5-0.

Spain drew 1-1 with Iraq in their warm-up, so they shed fewer points than France. A Spanish win would have taken them top.

The table may still change before the tournament, which runs from 11 June to 19 July. France complete preparations against Northern Ireland on Monday at 21h10.

Argentina are due to face Honduras then Iceland, while Spain still have Peru to come.

Losing top spot is not necessarily bad news for France. Since the FIFA ranking began in 1993, the team leading before a World Cup has never gone on to win it. Brazil came closest in 2002, regaining first on the first of June, the day after the tournament began, when France had been top.

Source: L'Équipe