World champions Argentina maintained their lead in the FIFA World Rankings, with the top ten teams largely unchanged, as FIFA released the new rankings. After a 1-0 win over Ecuador and a 3-0 victory against Bolivia in its opening World Cup CONMEBOL zone qualifiers, Argentina solidified its top position. Meanwhile, second-placed France dropped points following a 2-1 defeat to Germany in a friendly, reports Xinhua. LASK 1–3 Liverpool, UEFA Europa League 2023–24: Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah on Target As Reds Secure Comeback Victory To Kickstart Campaign.

Brazil retained its third spot, with England (4th), Belgium (5th), and Croatia (6th) also keeping their respective positions. The Netherlands is in seventh place while Portugal moves up to eighth. Italy stands in ninth and Spain stays in 10th place, rounding out the top 10.

In September, 159 international matches were taken into account for the rankings. While no team made a significant leap in the standings, Northern Ireland experienced the most significant drop, falling 10 spots to 74th.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 22, 2023 11:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).