FIFA refuses to make Argentina no.1 in rankings despite winning 2022 World Cup

 

Argentina will not become the number one team in the FIFA rankings this month, despite winning the 2022 World Cup.

 

Instead, the world football governing body will rate Brazil ahead of their South American rivals.

 

Brazil have held the top position since February, when they overtook Belgium.

 

And even though they failed to make it past the quarter-finals in Qatar, Argentina’s results haven’t been enough to overtake them.

 

Brazil won three matches at the tournament, lost to Cameroon and were eliminated following a penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Croatia.

 

Apart from winning the World Cup, Argentina also lifted the Copa America in 2021.

 

Shootout successes are worth far fewer ranking points than regulation-time wins. If either Argentina or France had won the final within 120 minutes, they would have gone to No. 1, but a penalty shootout guaranteed that Brazil could not be overtaken.

 

Argentina and France will be second and third, respectively, while Belgium will slide down two places to fourth after failing to make it beyond the group stage. England stay in fifth, while the Netherlands are up two places into sixth.