(Reuters) – World champions Argentina dethroned Brazil and returned to the top of the FIFA rankings on Thursday after a six-year gap.
Argentina, who won last year’s World Cup in Qatar by beating France in the final, achieved the No. 1 spot after Lionel Scaloni’s side beat Panama 2-0 and Curacao 7-0 in friendlies.
France moved up one place to second after a 4-0 win over the Netherlands and 1-0 victory in Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifiers, while Brazil slipped to third after losing 2-1 away to Morocco in a friendly.
Belgium remained fourth, England were fifth followed by the Netherlands in sixth, Croatia seventh and Italy eighth. Portugal and Spain completed the top 10.
The Central African Republic were the biggest movers in the latest rankings, jumping 10 places to 122nd.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing)
