FIFA World Cup 2026 Power Rankings: France seem unbeatable, Cabo Verde valiant in defeat to Argentina

France
This team seems unbeatable at this World Cup. Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola: All of them are World Cup champion material, and right now it doesn’t seem that any other team can topple the 1998 and 2018 World Cup winners. Mbappe has already scored six goals so far, and we are only halfway through. —
2

Argentina
Another goal from Lionel Messi helped the Albiceleste into the round of 16, overcoming a Cape Verde side that proved far tougher than expected. The reigning world champions have yet to hit the heights France have reached this summer, but they continue to find a way through. Their route to the final also looks considerably more favorable than that of the other leading contenders. —
3

Spain
Lamine Yamal might not be in the best condition, but other players are performing well. Mikel Oyarzabal is the star of the team right and has already scored four goals so far at the World Cup. The matchup against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the round of 16 will be one of the key clashes of the tournament.

Lamine Yamal might not be in the best condition, but other players are performing well. Mikel Oyarzabal is the star of the team right and has already scored four goals so far at the World Cup. The matchup against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the round of 16 will be one of the key clashes of the tournament. —
4

England
The Three Lions were in danger of being knocked out by DR Congo on Wednesday before Harry Kane’s brace that solved it all. The Bayern Munich striker officially became his country’s all-time leading goalscorer, taking his tally to 84 goals in 118 international appearances. He also reached 72 goals for club and country this season, leaving only Lionel Messi’s iconic 82-goal haul during the 2011-12 campaign ahead of him among players in the 21st century. —
5

Portugal
What a performance again. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first-ever goal in the knockouts of the World Cup against Croatia before the deciding goal of new AC Milan signing Goncalo Ramos in stoppage time. After surviving the dramatic end of the round of 32 against Croatia, Portugal will now face Spain in one of the best matchups of the tournament. —
6

Brazil
Carlo Ancelotti knows what he’s doing. The legendary Italian coach led the team to a late 2-1 comeback win against Japan, and that was a key match for the Selecao, who will now face Norway in another exciting game of the round of 16. To be honest, this team doesn’t seem as good as the ones of the past, but the aura of Ancelotti and his experience can help them a lot as we’ve seen in the game against Japan. —
7

Norway
Erling Haaland and his team will now face Brazil in a spectacular round of 16 on Sunday that will definitely produce a shocking elimination. Brazil have more experience with Ancelotti’s management, but the talented players of the Norwegian national team will create issues for the Brazlian defenders, starting with Haaland. —
8

Morocco
The African side now has a great opportunity to match its historic run from 2022, when it reached the semifinals. Next up is Canada in the round of 16, with a potential quarterfinal against France, a repeat of the last edition, where their remarkable journey came to an end in the semifinals. At this point, though, Morocco’s deep runs on the biggest stage are no longer a surprise. —
9

Colombia
A talented team that have a major chance to reach the quarterfinals, they will now face Switzerland in the round of 16. 2
10

Mexico
The tournament’s co-hosts have improved with every match, and home advantage is becoming a factor. England must now travel to the Azteca to face a Mexico side growing in confidence in what promises to be one of the standout ties of the round of 16. 4
11

United States
Step by step, Mauricio Pochettino and the United States are making history. I was definitely expecting them to be in this position at this stage of the tournament. Next up: Belgium on Monday night. 2
12

Switzerland
Every single time. This is a team that never gets the attention it deserves, yet it always delivers. They have a special talent: Johan Manzambi is one of the players of this World Cup. 3
13

Egypt
Another great story of this World Cup. Mo Salah managed to bring his national team to the round of 16 for the first time in their history, where they will meet Lionel Messi’s Argentina. History in the making. 5
14

Belgium
Their dramatic late comeback against Senegal in the round of 32 was a reminder of the talent Belgium possesses throughout its squad. The frustrating part is that they seemed to remember it only when they were on the brink of elimination. 8
15

Paraguay
Their dream is still on after eliminating Germany in the round of 32, but at the same time, facing France will be a much more challenging task for them. 11
16

Canada
Nothing against Jesse Marsch and his team, but the feeling is that Morocco will win and they will become the first co-host nation to be eliminated. 7
17

Cabo Verde
ELIMINATED: What an incredible story. Yes, Argentina won in the end and they are out of the World Cup. But what a way to go. They pushed the reigning world champions to extra time and only fell in a 3-2 defeat. If there is one underdog story that this tournament will remember, it is Cabo Verde and especially that of their inspirational goalkeeper, Vozinha. 15
18

Germany
ELIMINATED: The most surprising result of the round of 32 as Paraguay stunned Germany in a penalty shootout. After failing to progress beyond the group stage in both 2018 and 2022, Germany’s 2026 campaign ended at the first knockout hurdle. It’s now likely that Jurgen Klopp will take over and start a new era for this historic national team. 8
19

Netherlands
ELIMINATED: I mean, facing Morocco wasn’t an easy task at all and losing after penalties made it even worse, but we could all expect much more from them. Ronald Koeman, the Dutch coach, has already stepped down from his role. 10
20

Japan
ELIMINATED: How unlucky. One of my predictions was that Japan was one of the underdogs of the tournament. They impressed the world but Brazil were able to score a las-minute goal and sent them home. They will be back. 8
21

Sweden
ELIMINATED: Nobody seems capable of hanging with this French side. Graham Potter’s team held its own for the opening 30 minutes before reality set in, as the quality of Mbappe, Dembele and Michael Olise eventually proved too much. 5
22

Ivory Coast
ELIMINATED: Norway were a better team and deserve to go through, but some of the players on this team we will be back in the headlines soon. Starting from Yan Diomande. 5
23

Croatia
ELIMINATED: Luka Modric’s final World Cup appearance was one that will live long in the memory. The heartbreak was made even greater by Gvardiol’s late goal being ruled out after the ball’s sensor detected the slightest touch from an offside teammate. It was a cruel ending to Modric’s World Cup journey. 4
24

Senegal
ELIMINATED: There was a lot of pressure on them after what happened in the AFCON final last year and they only lost in stoppage time against Belgium after a crazy game, when they were winning 2-0 before conceding three goals in the second part of the match. 4
25

Ecuador
ELIMINATED: Facing Mexico isn’t easy at all and they had to face them in the round of 32. However, they are one of those national teams that can only improve in the coming years. 4
26

Austria
ELIMINATED: They were undoubtedly unfortunate to draw Spain in the round of 32, having already faced Argentina in the group stage. At the same time, there was a widespread belief that Ralf Rangnick’s project was further along in its development. 2
27

Ghana
ELIMINATED: Drew against England in the group stages and only lost 1-0 against Colombia before being eliminated. Still a positive performance. 2
28

South Africa
ELIMINATED: Nobody expected Bafana Bafana to make their first-ever qualification to the knockouts. They made it and lost against co-hosts Canada. 1
29

Algeria
ELIMINATED: What an incredible coincidence as their coach Vladimir Petkovic was defeated at the round of 32 against his former national team, Switzerland. 1
30

Bosnia-Herz.
ELIMINATED: Another great story of this World Cup. Lost to the United States in the round of 32 but even if they lost they showed a lot of character and probably deserved more. It wasn’t a coincidence that they knocked Italy out of World Cup qualification in the playoffs back in March. —
31

DR Congo
ELIMINATED: What an incredible performance against England, one of the best teams in the world. Their first ever participation at the World Cup since the 1974 edition was historic and that draw against Portugal will stay forever in our hearts. If Harry Kane wasn’t playing for England we would probably be talking about a different story. —
32

Australia
ELIMINATED: The Socceros did what they could in the tournament but to be honest we couldn’t expect much more. Ending up in the top 32 was still a big achievement for them, especially as they had to face a strong group with the United States, Turkiye and Paraguay. Two of them are in the top 16 of the tournament. 3
33

Korea Republic
ELIMINATED — It wasn’t the ending Son Heung-min deserved in what is expected to be his final World Cup and the closing chapter of an outstanding international career. —
34

Scotland
ELIMINATED — I was expecting them to be a bit more challenging for the teams they faced but ended up only winning the opening game against Haiti. Not good enough. —
35

Iran
ELIMINATED — A bit unlucky for their late elimination but they failed to win a single game in this World Cup. For sure, they probably had too much pressure due to the geopolitical situation surrounding their country. —
36

Uruguay
ELIMINATED — Another huge disappointment of this World Cup. There were so many expectations around this team and especially on their coach, Marcelo Bielsa. Out in the group phase. —
37

Qatar
ELIMINATED — They had a good start with the draw against Switzerland but then the two defeats against Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina ended their dreams. At least, they made a step forward compared to the 2022 World Cup. —
38

Saudi Arabia
ELIMINATED — They had to face a challenging group with Uruguay and Spain but they drew in the last key game against Cabo Verde, meaning they are once again out of the tournament at the first phase. —
39

Turkiye
ELIMINATED — They have been the biggest disappointment of the group stage. Tipped as potential dark horses capable of challenging the tournament’s traditional powerhouses, they ultimately failed to live up to expectations. Their victory over the USMNT in the final group match was only a consolation for the fans. —
40

New Zealand
ELIMINATED — To be fair, they did better than what we all expected. Their debut draw against Iran was one of the most surprising results of the tournament but they did not keep the same level against Egypt and Belgium. —
41

Czechia
ELIMINATED — Another big setback. The European side were kicked out of the World Cup in a group with South Africa, Korea Republic and Mexico. We expected more from a talented roster. —
42

Iraq
ELIMINATED — They did what they could against Norway, France and Senegal which was considered the group of death. Conceding 12 goals in just three matches was simply too much. —
43

Uzbekistan
ELIMINATED — Unlucky to play their first World Cup against a challenging group with Portugal and Colombia. Still a historical first time for them. —
44

Panama
ELIMINATED — The first half against England in the last matchday showed how much they improved since their last appearance in 2018. —
45

Tunisia
ELIMINATED – -Imagine sacking your manager in the middle of the tournament and replacing him with another one with no real expectations of doing better. This is the only reason why they made history at this World Cup. —
46

Haiti
ELIMINATED — What could we expect from them against Scotland, Brazil and Morocco? They did what they were able to do and we couldn’t ask for more. A great story that will remain in our memory forever. —
47

Jordan
ELIMINATED — Scoring against Lionel Messi’s Argentina will forever remain one of the greatest moments in this team’s history and a proud milestone for the country. —
48

Curacao
ELIMINATED — A great story with no fairytale ending. They scored their first-ever World Cup goal and even drew against Ecuador. Still a historical month for them. —