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World Cup Power Rankings: Cristiano, Kylian, Lionel Lead the Charge
Cristiano Ronaldo finally walked onto this World Cup with the volume turned all the way up. Two goals, a 5-0 demolition of Uzbekistan, another line added to his personal history book. On the same day, England trudged through a goalless draw with Ghana that felt like a throwback to every stodgy tournament performance they swore they’d left behind.
None of it, though, has shaken the top of these rankings. The big beasts are dug in. It will take something extraordinary to move them now.
1. France (FIFA ranking: 3) (Previous: 1)
France look like a team that has solved its own puzzle.
Since the second half of their opener against Senegal, Michael Olise has been stationed in the No 10 role and the entire attack has snapped into focus. Two more assists in a 3-0 win over Iraq, on top of his game-changing display in that first match, underline it: he’s the connector this side has been waiting for.
A storm delay in Philadelphia barely flickered across Kylian Mbappe’s radar. He scored twice for the second straight match as France eased into the knockouts. Norway await on Friday, a straight shootout for top spot in the group.
Didier Deschamps will miss that game following the death of his mother, with a return expected for the knockout rounds. Even in his absence, France look ominously settled.
2. Argentina (FIFA ranking: 1) (Previous: 2)
Lionel Messi, 38 years old, is running this World Cup as if it belongs to him.
He has scored all five of Argentina’s goals across their two wins. His double against Austria took him to the top of the all-time World Cup scoring charts. The team is built around him and he is carrying the weight without blinking.
Behind him, the defence has banked back-to-back clean sheets, though Cristian Romero’s knee injury against Austria is a worrying note. Others in attack still need to catch fire. Right now, it feels like a one-man inferno.
Can he really drag them all the way again? The evidence so far is uncomfortable for anyone betting against him.
3. Germany (FIFA ranking: 10) (Previous: 3)
The 7-1 against Curacao was a spectacle. The 2-1 comeback against Ivory Coast meant more.
Germany trailed for over half an hour before Julian Nagelsmann turned to Deniz Undav. The forward came off the bench, scored twice, and flipped the game in added time. Felix Nmecha’s precise ball and Undav’s sharp turn-and-finish for the winner felt like the work of a team rediscovering late-tournament ruthlessness.
Top of Group E, through to the knockouts, and out of a World Cup group for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2014. Momentum, finally, is back in German colours.
4. Spain (FIFA ranking: 2) (Previous: 5 – up 1)
Humiliated by Cape Verde in their opener, Spain responded with fury.
Saudi Arabia were swamped 4-0 in one of the most one-sided performances of the tournament. Twenty-two shots, 2.85 xG, and the feeling they left goals on the pitch.
Lamine Yamal needed just 10 minutes of his first World Cup start to score, then banked a controlled 45-minute outing. Mikel Oyarzabal, anonymous for half an hour against Cape Verde, found his range and struck twice. Job done, confidence restored.
Beat Uruguay on Friday and Group H is theirs.
5. England (FIFA ranking: 4) (Previous: 4 – down 1)
From chaos to coma in four days.
After the 4-2 thrill ride against Croatia, England reverted to type with a flat, mechanical 0-0 against Ghana. The passing slowed, the ideas dried up, and a lower-ranked opponent walked away with a point and very few scars.
The panic can wait. Beat Panama in their final group game and England still top the section. But the brief chorus of “It’s coming home” has already dropped a few decibels.
6. Netherlands (FIFA ranking: 8) (Previous: 6)
The Netherlands tore Sweden apart and made a statement.
Brian Brobbey’s introduction to the starting XI gave them a brutal focal point, battering his way through the defence while Cody Gakpo and Crysencio Summerville weaved around him and joined the scoring.
Tunisia, bruised and already eliminated, are next. On paper this group once looked tricky. On the grass, the Dutch have made it look manageable.
7. Brazil (FIFA ranking: 6) (Previous: 7)
Brazil badly needed control after a shaky opener. Haiti provided it.
A 3-0 win, largely untroubled, with Matheus Cunha looking a far better fit than Igor Thiago in a fluid front line. The performance won’t frighten the elite, but it settled the noise around Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Scotland are next. Another comfortable victory would reframe Brazil as serious contenders rather than a work in progress.
8. Morocco (FIFA ranking: 7) (Previous: 8)
The weight of expectation sits heavily on Morocco after a 2022 semi-final run and an AFCON triumph. So far, they’re holding it.
A draw with Brazil, a win over Scotland, and both goals finished with real class by Ismael Saibari. Group C now comes down to margins. To top it, they may need a sizeable win over Haiti, depending on Brazil’s result against Scotland.
Progress, though, is the real currency. They are on course.
9. United States (FIFA ranking: 17) (Previous: 9)
The whispers have started. Can the U.S. actually win this thing?
That’s premature, but the early signs are loud. A 4-1 dismantling of Paraguay, then a composed 2-0 victory over Australia without even needing Christian Pulisic. They’re attacking with rotation, pace and a sense of fun that is rare at this level.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are already through as group winners. Pulisic can be rested against Turkey. The Americans are planning for a deep run, and the belief around them is no longer just marketing.
10. Norway (FIFA ranking: 31) (Previous: 10)
The dark horses are no longer lurking in the shadows.
Norway’s 3-2 win over Senegal showcased both their threat and their flaws. They shredded the (stripped) African champions’ defence, creating a stream of chances and forcing errors, yet allowed a late goal that took the shine off the scoreline.
Seven goals in two games tell the real story. Erling Haaland has scored another double and looks close to unstoppable. The defending, though, keeps the door ajar.
11. Colombia (FIFA ranking: 14) (Previous: 12 – up 1)
Colombia are two wins from two, and yet still feel like they’re holding something back.
They wobbled against Uzbekistan, then edged DR Congo 1-0 in a game that never needed to be so tight. Still, six points mean the first job is done: progression to the knockouts, with a match to spare.
That luxury eases the tension ahead of a mouthwatering clash with Portugal. A draw is enough to top the group. The ambition is clearly more than that.
12. Mexico (FIFA ranking: 13) (Previous: 11 – down 1)
Mexico are the first team to secure a place in the last 32. They have also locked in top spot in Group A.
A 1-0 win over South Korea followed an equally unspectacular victory against South Africa. Two wins, two clean sheets, not much sparkle. Yet the prize is huge: a third-placed opponent next, and both the last-32 and potential last-16 games staged in Mexico City.
They haven’t caught fire. They haven’t needed to. Not yet.
13. Portugal (FIFA ranking: 5) (Previous: 13)
Portugal needed a reaction after stumbling against DR Congo. They produced a hammering.
Uzbekistan were swept aside 5-0, Ronaldo scoring twice to become the first man to score in six different World Cups. The goals mattered for more than history; they quietened the constant noise around his place in the XI, at least temporarily.
But the context matters. Uzbekistan’s defence was naive and overawed. Anyone projecting Portugal’s entire tournament off this result is reading the wrong game. Colombia, next, will tell us much more.
14. Croatia (FIFA ranking: 11) (Previous: 14)
Croatia are still leaning on their old habit of surviving.
Panama gave them real scares, but Ante Budimir stepped off the bench to grab a close-range winner in a narrow 1-0 victory. It was not convincing. It rarely is with this generation until the stakes rise.
The legs may be slower, the margins tighter, yet history warns against writing them off. They have made a career out of outlasting tournaments.
15. Egypt (FIFA ranking: 29) (Previous: 15)
Egypt finally have a World Cup win.
New Zealand struck first, but Mohamed Salah took over, scoring one and assisting another in a comeback that broke a long-standing tournament hoodoo.
They’ve done little to suggest a deep run is coming, but the path is clear enough. Beat Iran on Friday and they top Group G, earning a tie against a third-placed side in the round of 32.
16. Japan (FIFA ranking: 18) (Previous: 16)
Japan are almost there. More than 99 per cent likely to progress, by the numbers, after a 4-0 dismantling of Tunisia.
Ayase Ueda scored twice as Japan recorded their biggest-ever World Cup win and became the first Asian team to score four in a single game at the tournament. Tunisia are in freefall, so it’s no time for wild declarations, but the identity is unmistakable: speed, intensity, and a ruthless press.
This is a team that knows exactly what it wants to be.
17. South Korea (FIFA ranking: 22) (Previous: 17)
South Korea’s performance against Mexico was a jolt.
They created almost nothing in Guadalajara. Son Heung-min was withdrawn before the hour mark. Their route to the knockouts is now hanging on a final game against South Africa.
The talent is there. The margin for error has gone. It’s time for their stars to play like stars.
18. Switzerland (FIFA ranking: 19) (Previous: 18)
A new name has emerged in Swiss red.
At 20 years and 247 days, Johan Manzambi came off the bench against Bosnia-Herzegovina and scored twice in a late 4-1 win, becoming the youngest player to hit a double as a substitute in a men’s World Cup match.
Canada are next. A draw is enough for progression; a win secures top spot. Switzerland suddenly have another attacking card to play.
19. Canada (FIFA ranking: 30) (Previous: 19)
Canada didn’t just win their first World Cup game. They exploded.
Qatar were thrashed 6-0 in Vancouver, a night when almost everything clicked for Jesse Marsch’s aggressive, front-foot approach. Jonathan David helped himself to a hat-trick, Qatar imploded with two red cards, and the co-hosts finally announced themselves on this stage.
Ismael Kone’s injury is a significant blow. Even so, a draw against Switzerland on Wednesday sends Canada into the knockouts. They suddenly look ready for it.
20. Ghana (FIFA ranking: 73) (Previous: 23 – up 3)
Ghana could hardly have scripted this better.
A last-minute winner against Panama, then a disciplined, organised 0-0 against England that earned them a point and plenty of respect. They even carried a real threat on the counter. On another night, with a more attentive VAR, Ezri Konsa’s foul on Prince Kwabena Adu might have brought a penalty.
Four points from two games all but seals their spot in the knockouts. They have earned their rise.
21. Belgium (FIFA ranking: 9) (Previous: 20 – down 1)
The ranking number on paper feels like a relic.
Belgium racked up 23 shots, 1.82 xG and 70 per cent possession against Iran. They didn’t win. The numbers still insist Kevin De Bruyne is one of the Premier League’s greats and Romelu Lukaku is his country’s record scorer. Right now, those truths are not translating into victories.
No wins against Egypt or Iran. Even if they beat New Zealand on Friday, the ceiling looks low. They badly need Jeremy Doku back, and quickly.
22. Ivory Coast (FIFA ranking: 33) (Previous: 21 – down 1)
Ivory Coast have shown they can live with the best. They led Germany for over half an hour and caused problems throughout.
Yan Diomande and Amad have stretched defences from the flanks, but a landmark win slipped away late. Even so, The Athletic’s forecast model gives them a 95 per cent chance of reaching the knockouts for the first time.
They’re close. They just need to finish the job.
23. Uruguay (FIFA ranking: 16) (Previous: 22 – down 1)
The numbers are maddening.
Two games. Forty-four shots. 3.88 xG. Three goals. Two points. And now Spain stand between Uruguay and the exit.
Their qualifying campaign suggested a side level on points with Brazil and Colombia, built around a classy midfield. Their form before the tournament was poor. That slump has followed them here. The fragile, gappy two-man wall that let Cape Verde score from 40 yards summed up their World Cup so far.
Marcelo Bielsa did not design it this way. Yet this is where they are.
24. Algeria (FIFA ranking: 28) (Previous: 24)
Set pieces might be Algeria’s golden ticket.
Both goals in their comeback win over Jordan came from corners, an asset that could punish stronger opponents from limited chances. Riyad Mahrez’s return to the starting XI added a creative spark in open play.
Austria on Sunday will decide who finishes second. With a minus-two goal difference, Algeria still have work to do, but they’ve given themselves a chance of sneaking through in third as well.
25. Sweden (FIFA ranking: 38) (Previous: 25)
Sweden have seen both sides of a 5-1 scoreline in a matter of days.
They dismantled Tunisia, then were taken apart by the Netherlands. That contrast lays bare their level: capable of blowing away weaker teams with Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak, yet still a step short of the true elite and fragile at the back.
They know exactly where they stand. The problem is, so does everyone else.
26. Senegal (FIFA ranking: 15) (Previous: 26)
Senegal’s tournament is slipping away.
They started brightly against France, then conceded six across their next two games. The positives are limited to Ismaila Sarr’s double against Norway and Ibrahim Mbaye’s strike against France, proof they can trouble top-class opponents.
Defensively, though, the errors have piled up. Edouard Mendy made big saves against Norway before going off injured after an hour. Now they need not just a win over Iraq on Friday, but a heavy one, to repair their goal difference and sneak through as one of the best third-placed sides.
The drop in these rankings reflects the danger they’re in.
27. Australia (FIFA ranking: 27) (Previous: 27)
Australia arrived with optimism after beating Turkey 2-0. The United States stripped that back.
Tony Popovic’s decision to leave both scorers from the Turkey game, Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, out of the starting XI blunted their counter-attacking edge. Without Irankunda’s raw pace, they looked ordinary in transition and struggled to live with the U.S. intensity.
Now it comes down to Paraguay for second place. One game to prove the hype was justified.
28. Austria (FIFA ranking: 25) (Previous: 28)
Ralf Rangnick shuffled his pack against Argentina, bringing Kevin Danso into defence and Paul Wanner into midfield. The tweaks did not fix the core issue.
This team has quality but no defining weapon. The forwards aren’t prolific, the defence isn’t watertight — Jordan have already breached them. Against stronger nations, it’s unclear where Austria can consistently inflict damage.
Their meeting with Algeria on Sunday will decide second place. Someone has to seize it.
29. Scotland (FIFA ranking: 41) (Previous: 29)
Scotland have turned into a nation of calculators.
After scraping past Haiti 1-0 and then losing 1-0 to Morocco despite a spirited second half, the talk is all about margins. How many can they afford to concede to Brazil and still qualify as one of the best third-placed teams?
The good news: they showed enough against Morocco to believe they can trouble the five-time world champions. Any positive result on Wednesday would send them into the World Cup knockouts for the first time.
30. Iran (FIFA ranking: 20) (Previous: 30)
On paper, a draw with Belgium is a fine result. On the pitch, it felt like a missed opportunity.
Iran created clear chances, saw an inventive free-kick routine chalked off for a marginal offside, and could not take advantage of Belgium going down to 10 men. Combined with the earlier draw against New Zealand, their hopes of a shock progression now hang by a thread.
They will quietly hope Egypt ease off in their final Group G game. Hope is all they have left.
31. Ecuador (FIFA ranking: 24) (Previous: 31)
Ecuador’s unbeaten two-year, 19-match run has evaporated into frustration.
A loss to Ivory Coast, a draw with Curacao, and a brutal statistic: 4.08 xG and no goals. Wasteful finishing has replaced the clinical edge Enner Valencia once brought to the World Cup stage. At 36, he is no longer the relentless scorer of Qatar 2022.
Germany await on Thursday. With Nagelsmann’s side already through, Ecuador must pray for rotation — and for their strikers to finally remember the route to goal.
32. Paraguay (FIFA ranking: 40) (Previous: 32)
This is what Paraguay were supposed to look like.
A 1-0 win over Turkey showcased their touted blend of defensive steel and attacking talent. Matias Galarza’s stunning strike after two minutes set the tone. When Miguel Almiron was sent off — the first player ever dismissed for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent — they dug in and held firm against relentless pressure.
Almiron’s suspension for the Australia game is a major blow. Second place is on the line, and they’ll have to secure it without their star.
33. Cape Verde (FIFA ranking: 67) (Previous: 33)
Cape Verde are writing one of the stories of this World Cup.
A shock draw with Spain, then a 2-2 thriller against Uruguay featuring a 40-yard free kick and a moment of improvisation from Helio Varela off the bench. Two former world champions, two statements.
Saudi Arabia are next. Win, and Cape Verde become perhaps the unlikeliest knockout team this tournament has seen. Even a draw might be enough. It’s already remarkable. It could yet become historic.
34. Saudi Arabia (FIFA ranking: 60) (Previous: 34)
Reality hit hard.
After their spirited draw with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia were overwhelmed 4-0 by Spain. It could have been worse. Spain’s dominance was total.
Still, the equation is simple now. Beat Cape Verde and finish on four points. That would likely be enough for at least third place in Group H and a shot at the knockouts. They’d have accepted that scenario before a ball was kicked.
35. New Zealand (FIFA ranking: 85) (Previous: 35)
Stubborn, awkward, hard to shift. New Zealand’s World Cup identity hasn’t changed much since 2010.
They drew all three games back then. This time, after a draw with Iran, they finally lost — 3-1 to Egypt despite taking the lead through Finn Surman.
Yet the door remains open. Beat a fading Belgium on Saturday and they will almost certainly make history with a first-ever trip to the knockout stages.
36. Czech Republic (FIFA ranking: 43) (Previous: 37 – up 1)
The Czech Republic started perfectly against South Africa. Michal Sadilek scored after five minutes and seven seconds — the fastest goal of the tournament.
They couldn’t close it out. South Africa grew into the match and deservedly equalised seven minutes from time. A 1-1 draw helps neither side.
Now the Czechs must beat co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City to advance. It’s a daunting assignment.
37. Bosnia and Herzegovina (FIFA ranking: 64) (Previous: 38 – up 1)
Bosnia and Herzegovina had Switzerland where they wanted them, then collapsed late.
The 4-1 defeat leaves them with a simple, brutal reality: beat Qatar in Seattle on Wednesday or go home. The winner of that tie will almost certainly reach four points and the knockouts.
There is no more room for missteps.
38. DR Congo (FIFA ranking: 46) (Previous: 40 – up 2)
DR Congo have stood tall against giants.
They stunned Portugal with a 1-1 draw, then pushed Colombia all the way in a narrow 1-0 defeat. The defence looks organised, the counter-attack dangerous, particularly through Yoane Wissa.
Uzbekistan are next. Win, and four points should carry them into the knockout rounds. They’ve earned the right to believe.
39. Qatar (FIFA ranking: 56) (Previous: 39)
Almost nothing went right against Canada.
Six goals conceded, two red cards, a 6-0 humiliation that shredded their goal difference and confidence in one blow. Yet the path remains oddly clear: beat Bosnia and Herzegovina in their final game and they will almost certainly reach four points and the last 32.
For a team this low in the rankings, that would still be a salvage job.
40. Curacao (FIFA ranking: 82) (Previous: 41 – up 1)
Curacao have their own World Cup goalkeeping hero now.
Eloy Room produced a 15-save masterclass against Ecuador, preserving a 0-0 draw and keeping their hopes of progression alive. It was a performance to stand alongside the best from debut nations.
Beat Ivory Coast and they might just sneak through. That alone is a remarkable sentence.
41. South Africa (FIFA ranking: 61) (Previous: 43 – up 2)
South Africa improved, fought, and clawed their way to a late draw against the Czech Republic.
It wasn’t enough. They needed a win. Now they must upset South Korea in their final game to reach the knockouts.
The task is daunting. The route is brutally clear.
42. Iraq (FIFA ranking: 57) (Previous: 44 – up 2)
Iraq have been outgunned.
Facing Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in back-to-back matches is a nightmare draw. They’ve barely laid a glove on Norway or France. Losing captain Aymen Hussein to injury after 26 minutes against France only deepened the problems.
To have any chance, they must beat Senegal heavily. The odds are long.
43. Uzbekistan (FIFA ranking: 50) (Previous: 42 – down 1)
Uzbekistan’s bright start evaporated under Portugal’s lights.
After a promising display against Colombia, they collapsed 5-0, defending with a naivety that left star man Abdukodir Khusanov in tears at full-time. No one expected them to take points from their first two games, but the manner of the defeat has left scars on confidence and goal difference.
Now they have to beat DR Congo and hope other results fall kindly. It feels like a mountain.
The eliminated teams
44. Panama (FIFA ranking: 34) (Previous: 36 – down 8)
Panama are out with a game to spare, and they will leave wondering what might have been.
Two 1-0 defeats — to Ghana via a stoppage-time goal and to Croatia by a narrow margin — tell of matches that were there to be taken. They competed. They just couldn’t finish.
Pride and regret will travel home together.
45. Jordan (FIFA ranking: 63) (Previous: 45)
Jordan’s debut World Cup run is over after defeats to Austria and Algeria.
They scored in both games, but never found a way to stifle opponents the way other newcomers have, often on the back of heroic goalkeeping. Here, the resistance simply wasn’t strong enough.
46. Haiti (FIFA ranking: 83) (Previous: 46)
Haiti were the first team eliminated, but they do not deserve the wooden spoon.
Drawn into one of the toughest groups, unable to play on home soil due to political turmoil, they pushed Scotland hard and could feel aggrieved to leave that match with nothing. Brazil was always likely to be a bridge too far. Three first-half goals ended the contest, yet Haiti “drew” the second half 0-0 and refused to fold.
They face Morocco next chasing a first World Cup point in 50 years. That alone would be a victory of its own kind.
47. Turkey (FIFA ranking: 23) (Previous: 47)
The warning stands: do not trust Turkey.
Not with Kenan Yildiz and Arda Guler in attack. Not with an experienced back line featuring Ferdi Kadioglu. Not with Hakan Calhanoglu spraying passes. The talent is there. The results are not.
Two games, 62 shots, no goals. Out in the group stage despite landing in one of the “easier” pools and facing a Paraguay side who played half the game with 10 men. Unlucky? Perhaps. But if you can’t score under those conditions, you can’t complain.
48. Tunisia (FIFA ranking: 45) (Previous: 48)
Tunisia’s World Cup unravelled quickly and brutally.
A 5-1 thrashing by Sweden cost Sabri Lamouchi his job. Herve Renard arrived and watched a 4-0 beating by Japan. Two games, nine goals conceded, minus-eight goal difference — the worst record of any side here so far.
For some teams, this tournament is about fine-tuning. For others, it exposes everything. Tunisia now know exactly which group they belong to.
