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Lionel Messi
Photo: LUIS ROBAYO / AFP
After their triumph at the World Cup in Qatar, the Argentine national team has taken second place in the Fifa world rankings.
By winning the third World Cup title, the team around superstar Lionel Messi improved by one place in the ranking of the world association.
Rivals Brazil remain at the top, dethroned world champions France are the new third.
Argentina would have passed Brazil if they hadn't beat France on penalties in the final, FIFA said.
The German Football Association (DFB) team slipped from eleventh to 14th place in the rankings after the disappointing elimination of the preliminary round.
Morocco made up most of the positions, moving up 11 places to 11th after surprisingly reaching the semi-finals at the Autumn World Cup.
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