Spain Reclaims No. 1 in FIFA Rankings as Ronaldo Sparks New Social-Media Storm

Spain Returns to No. 1 in the FIFA World Ranking

On July 20 (Beijing time), FIFA released its latest men's world ranking. Spain, which had just beaten Argentina in the final of the USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup to lift the trophy, overtook Argentina with 1,995.88 points and returned to the top of the world. Defending champions Argentina slipped to second with 1,970.37 points.

In the final, thanks to Ferran Torres's winning goal in extra time, Spain edged Argentina 1-0 to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time in 16 years. The victory earned Spain 30.27 ranking points, and across the entire World Cup campaign the team amassed a remarkable 121.17 points — not only reclaiming the top spot they had lost only this past April, but also equalling their best ranking in history.

In the latest top 10, France sit third and England fourth. Brazil rose one place to fifth, while Morocco climbed to sixth, a record high for the nation. Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands rank seventh to ninth respectively. Hosts Mexico jumped four places to return to the top 10.

The biggest dark horse was Norway — having reached the World Cup quarter-finals, they leapt from 31st to 19th, a surge of 12 places. Germany, meanwhile, dropped out of the top 10 to 12th.

Notably, while the Spanish men's team reached the summit, the Spanish women's team also held firm at No. 1 in the world. After the match, Spain men's head coach Luis de la Fuente said: "I am incredibly proud of this generation of players. They have won everything."

Ronaldo "Likes" Clip Claiming "FIFA Wanted to Hand the World Cup to Messi"

On July 21 (Beijing time), just as the USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup had drawn to a close, a social-media move by Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo caused an uproar — he publicly "liked" content from a Spanish media outlet claiming that FIFA "wanted to hand the World Cup to Messi."

According to multiple reports, four days earlier a Spanish outlet called Espejo Publico posted a program clip on its official account. In the video, the host and guests fiercely criticized FIFA for corruption and bluntly stated that Argentina "should have been eliminated about five matches earlier." They claimed: "I think we (Spain) weren't playing against Argentina, but against the entire FIFA institution — they wanted to hand the World Cup to Messi, just like in Qatar four years ago!" The host even described FIFA as a "despicable, mafia-like, shameful organization." Ronaldo's own account was confirmed to have liked this video.

Because the video had been posted four days earlier, it remains unclear exactly when Ronaldo hit "like." But this "slip of the finger" — or public stance — was immediately read as yet another subtle dig at his old rival Messi. Especially against the backdrop of Argentina's 1-0 loss to Spain in the final and their failure to defend the title, Ronaldo's move looked loaded with meaning.

This is not the first time Ronaldo has expressed his views this way. In 2021, after Messi won his seventh Ballon d'Or, a Ronaldo fan posted that Messi's award was "a theft, a stain and a disgrace." Ronaldo not only liked the post but commented "Factos" (Portuguese for "facts"). In 2023, after Messi won his eighth Ballon d'Or, the well-known Messi critic and As editor-in-chief Roncero posted criticism of Messi, and Ronaldo liked it and added four "laughing-crying" emojis.

As a result, fans dubbed this the "Factos 3.0 incident," with many joking in the comments that it had become a "recurring feature." As of now, Ronaldo has offered no explanation for the "like."

FIFA Launches Disciplinary Review of Post-Final Clashes

On July 21 (Beijing time), FIFA officially announced that its Disciplinary Committee had formally opened an investigation into the clashes that erupted between Argentine and Spanish players after the World Cup final.

In the final, Spain beat defending champions Argentina 1-0 on Ferran Torres's extra-time goal to be crowned world champions for the second time in the nation's history. Yet after the final whistle, the pitch descended into a shocking brawl.

According to multiple reports, the flashpoint came as Spanish players rushed onto the pitch to celebrate. Broadcast footage showed Argentine defender Molina strike Spain midfielder Rodri in the stomach, prompting Rodri to turn and confront him. The situation quickly spiraled out of control — Argentine midfielder Paredes lunged at Spain defender Eric Garcia and grabbed him by the throat; when young Spaniard Gavi stepped in to mediate and protect his teammate, Paredes violently body-slammed Gavi to the ground. Argentine assistant coach Ayala was also filmed striking Spain player Dani Olmo on the neck. Paredes was shown a straight red card by referee Vincic.

Faced with this string of violent acts, FIFA responded swiftly. In its statement, FIFA said that after assessing the relevant match reports, it had appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor under Article 36 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code to investigate the post-match events.

According to Sky Sports, the scope of the investigation covers Paredes's violent conduct, Molina's malicious provocation and the coaching staff's involvement in the clashes, among other issues. In addition, when Spain lifted the trophy, the entire Argentina squad turned their backs on the award ceremony, and their collective refusal to speak in the mixed zone afterward may also face further scrutiny.

Under the FIFA Disciplinary Code, "violent conduct" carries a minimum three-match ban; if punished under Article 13 for violating fair-play principles or damaging the image of the game, the sanctions could even extend to all competitions worldwide, and the Argentine Football Association could be penalized as well. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will now await the referee's report, the match commissioner's report and video evidence before reaching a final ruling.

The incident has drawn widespread criticism across football, with England great Alan Shearer stating bluntly: "Losing hurts, but there's a way to lose."

This is the first part of a Paper World Cup roundup covering rankings, the Ronaldo controversy and the post-final disciplinary probe. See the source link for the full article, which also covers Argentine players' post-final messages, Italy's talks with Guardiola, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia's departure and the passing of England legend Kevin Keegan.