Lionel Messi and Argentina had to take down Kylian Mbappe and France in the final to win the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Flash-forward to 2025, La Albiceleste continue to compete against Les Bleus for prominence in world soccer.

With the 2026 World Cup drawing nearer, the Qatar 2022 finalists are within touching distance of each other in the top spots of the FIFA world ranking. France overtook Argentina in September, but without Mbappe, they are falling behind Messi’s team again.

Argentina are set to move up to second place in the upcoming update, with France dropping to the third spot. While the reigning world champions won their friendlies against Venezuela and Puerto Rico in October, France were held to a 2-2 draw by Iceland after beating Azerbaijan 3-0 in the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers.

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