Zurich (Switzerland), June 12 -- Argentina (1st, up 2), the reigning world champions, will begin their title defence as the world's top-ranked team, with the June FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking published just hours before the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup gets under way.
Following a series of pre-FIFA World Cup friendlies that marked the second period in which the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking was updated in real time during international matches, Argentina surged back to the summit after victories in both their warm-up fixtures, against Iceland and Honduras.
They replace France (3rd, down 2), who slipped behind after losing to Cote d'Ivoire before beating Northern Ireland, and Spain (2nd, unchanged), who were held to a draw by Ira...