Argentina closed their Conmebol World Cup Qualifying campaign with a 1-0 loss to Ecuador, a match played without Lionel Messi. The defeat didn’t affect their place at the top of the standings, as Lionel Scaloni’s squad comfortably secured its ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Where the loss will have an impact, however, is in the FIFA rankings. With Spain’s dominant wins over Bulgaria (3-0) and Turkey (6-0), and France defeating both Ukraine (2-0) and Iceland (2-1) in UEFA qualifying, Argentina will drop to third place in the next update—ending a reign of two years and five months at No. 1.

The fall also place Argentina fifth all-time among national teams with the longest runs at the top. They came just four months short of Spain’s record stretch

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