France top the World Cup 2026 power rankings unchanged after the group stage, with Kylian Mbappé and a deep squad keeping them ahead of Argentina, Spain and Brazil. The largest movements are below the top five. Cape Verde climbed 26 places to #19 without winning a game, and Senegal fell 26 places to #32. Cape Verde’s next opponent is Argentina; Senegal ended with five unanswered goals against Iraq.
The Guardian’s full rankings, published after the final group games, list all 48 teams in order. Cape Verde’s rise and Senegal’s fall were the extremes. Norway returned after 28 years, climbing three places to #12 with Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard.
France Holds the Summit
France stay at the summit of the World Cup 2026 power rankings, unchanged from their pre-tournament position. Kylian Mbappé took a little over an hour to find his groove before scoring twice in France’s opener against Senegal. The win came after a poor refereeing decision irked the captain. Ousmane Dembélé dazzled with a hat-trick against Norway. Michael Olise has shown his class throughout the group stage, providing a supporting cast around Mbappé that few teams can match.
Argentina climbed one place to second behind a 39-year-old Lionel Messi, who scored six goals in the group stage and became the World Cup’s record goalscorer. Spain dropped one to third after drawing 0-0 with Cape Verde in their opener, a result that shook La Roja into action. Three goals in the opening 24 minutes against Saudi Arabia settled the nerves; Lamine Yamal was fit to start, and Spain navigated an aggressive Uruguay to close the group. Brazil fell one to fifth, with Vinícius Júnior finishing with four goals. England rose four to eighth under Thomas Tuchel, with Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane securing two wins in tight matches.
The top of the table is dense with talent, and the gap from #1 to #5 is small in ranking terms. The leaderboard at the summit is largely the one most observers expected to see. Mbappé’s two goals against Senegal and Vinícius Júnior’s four in the group stage were the leading individual contributions at the top of the rankings.
The full rankings of all 48 World Cup teams are at the Guardian.
Cape Verde’s 26-Place Climb
Cape Verde jumped 26 places to #19, the largest movement in the World Cup 2026 power rankings. The climb came without a win in the group stage.
Three draws, no wins, and second place behind Spain in Group E. Discipline, hard work, and an outstanding 40-year-old goalkeeper named Vozinha carried the island nation into the round of 32. The 530,000-strong Cape Verde population watched their team hold Spain to a goalless draw, the result that put La Roja under pressure from the first game. The draw gave Cape Verde the platform they needed to advance.
We are small. But we have big hearts and we are fighters.
The Vozinha quote, given after the third group draw, summed up a tournament that has rewritten Cape Verde’s place in world football. The 40-year-old goalkeeper is the team’s emotional centre, and his saves against Spain were the moment that defined the group. Cape Verde’s three draws, and second place in Group E, are the result of the team’s discipline and Vozinha’s goalkeeping.
Cape Verde’s next opponent is Argentina and Lionel Messi, a man with 510 million Instagram followers, more than Cape Verde has citizens. Cape Verde earned their second point of the tournament in a group-stage draw with Uruguay in Miami. Spain’s 0-0 draw with Cape Verde in the opener was the result that put Cape Verde second in Group E. Argentina, who finished the group stage with the captain scoring six goals, will be the round-of-32 opponent.
The Biggest Climbers Below the Top Five
Colombia climbed 15 places to #6, second only to Cape Verde’s +26 in the tournament. Daniel Muñoz scored the only goal against DR Congo and kickstarted proceedings against Uzbekistan, with Luis Díaz adding plenty of swagger. The finishing needs to improve across the board, head coach Nestor Lorenzo said: “The other day I said that when they hired me, they hired me to qualify, and now people want you to win the World Cup.”
Mexico rose 9 places to #7 as co-hosts, with Julián Quiñones powering home the first goal of the tournament within 10 minutes. El Tri won all three group games without conceding a goal. “Now comes the knockout stage; statistics and data don’t matter. We’re achieving things, but what lies ahead is what counts,” head coach Javier Aguirre said. The co-hosts have not conceded in three games, and the team moves to the round of 32 with three clean sheets behind them.
The United States climbed 8 places to #16, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side beating Paraguay 4-0 in the opener and Folarin Balogun leading the line. Christian Pulisic is returning to full fitness. Norway returned after 28 years away, climbing 3 places to #12, with Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard rested against France and ready for the round of 32.
| Team | Movement | New Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Colombia | +15 | 6 |
| Netherlands | +9 | 4 |
| Mexico | +9 | 7 |
| South Korea | +9 | 35 |
| USA | +8 | 16 |
The European Stumble
Belgium dropped 6 places to #13 after draws against Egypt and Iran and a 5-1 win over New Zealand. The disjointed and pedestrian performances brought the golden generation back to earth, and Kevin De Bruyne and his fellow veterans are yet to find their best form. The ‘imminent fatherhood’ of Jérémy Doku drew more headlines than his wing play, in what feels like a last hurrah on the international stage. The team has little chance of making the podium, despite the 5-1 win.
Portugal fell 5 places to #10, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s two-goal salvo against Uzbekistan his response to critics after a flat draw with DR Congo. “I’m back,” Ronaldo roared at the camera. The 41-year-old made the difference against a weak team, but the question is whether he can be the first among equals when the opposition is stronger.
Uruguay dropped 11 places to #36 after taking two points from three games. Marcelo Bielsa’s side was a shock to everyone who expected more. “A tenure that left nothing behind,” was Bielsa’s blunt self-appraisal. Germany slipped 2 places to #11 after the Ecuador comeback win, with the team’s full-back positions still a concern.
Belgium, Portugal, and Uruguay exited before the knockout rounds. Belgium’s so-called golden generation ended in disjointed performances and a 5-1 win over New Zealand. Portugal could not get past the group with a 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice against Uzbekistan, and Uruguay’s Marcelo Bielsa called his own tenure ‘a tenure that left nothing behind’ after the early exit.
Who Fell the Hardest?
The biggest faller is the mirror image of Cape Verde’s climb. Senegal’s group stage exposed the team that reached the 2022 quarter-finals, with costly errors against Norway the most damaging. The experienced Kalidou Koulibaly was the biggest culprit, lamenting: “Every ball I touched went wrong, but unfortunately, that’s part of football.” The Lions of Teranga recovered to score five unanswered goals against Iraq.
Tunisia sacked their head coach after one match, a 5-1 loss to Sweden. Hervé Renard, who took over after, could not turn the slide around. “We were not at the level for this World Cup,” Renard said. Tunisia finished last in the group.
Turkey’s pre-tournament dark-horse tag was buried after losses to Australia and 10-man Paraguay. Iraq finished with one goal for, 12 against and zero points, the worst record of the 48 teams. Ecuador’s comeback win over Germany, which prompted President Daniel Noboa to declare a national holiday, could not offset their opening loss to Curaçao. Vincenzo Montella, Turkey’s head coach, faces calls for his exit after the group-stage exit.
- Senegal (-26): to #32 after costly errors against Norway.
- Tunisia (-21): to #48 after sacking their coach following the opening match.
- Turkey (-17): to #40 after losing to Australia and 10-man Paraguay.
- Iraq (-13): to #46 after finishing with one goal for, 12 against and zero points.
- Ecuador (-12): to #30 despite the comeback win over Germany.
The Standings After 48 Group Games
Of the 48 teams, Cape Verde and Senegal sit at the extremes of the movement scale, the biggest climber and the biggest faller. France stayed put at the top. The 32 teams that advanced to the knockout rounds now face a different kind of test.
The round of 32 begins this week, with France facing Sweden, Cape Verde taking on Argentina, and Australia meeting Egypt in Dallas, in the Socceroos’ knockout against Egypt. The Morocco-Netherlands tie and the Japan-Brazil tie are the matches of the first knockout round. Norway go through with Haaland and Ødegaard rested and ready. The round of 32 is the first knockout round of the expanded 48-team tournament.
The pre-tournament favourites who fell early, Belgium, Portugal, Uruguay, have been replaced in the spotlight by the climbers. The group stage has separated the form teams from the rest, and the rankings now reflect what the games showed. The round of 32 starts this week, with the rankings set to shift again.
The next set of power rankings will follow the round of 32 fixtures, with the survivors moving up and the eliminated teams frozen in place. Pochettino, whose USA side is in the round of 32, said the team’s goal was clear: “Making history is winning the World Cup, not just winning the group.” Cape Verde and Argentina meet in the round of 32, the smallest nation in the tournament against the captain who scored the most goals in the group stage. Messi, who turned 39 this week, is the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s World Cup history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who tops the World Cup 2026 power rankings?
France, unchanged at #1 after the group stage. Kylian Mbappé scored twice in France’s opening win over Senegal, and Ousmane Dembélé added a hat-trick against Norway. The squad includes Michael Olise and the depth that made them the pre-tournament favourites.
Which team climbed the most in the World Cup 2026 power rankings?
Cape Verde, up 26 places to #19, despite winning no group games. Three draws, including a 0-0 with Spain, and a 40-year-old goalkeeper carried them into the round of 32 against Argentina.
Which team fell the most in the World Cup 2026 power rankings?
Senegal, down 26 places to #32, mirroring Cape Verde’s climb. Costly errors against Norway and Kalidou Koulibaly’s admission that ‘every ball I touched went wrong’ summed up their group stage.
What is the smallest nation still alive in the World Cup 2026?
Cape Verde, an island nation of 530,000 people. The next round pits them against Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi, who has 510 million Instagram followers.
Who does Cape Verde face in the round of 32?
Argentina, whose captain Lionel Messi scored six goals in the group stage at age 39. Cape Verde’s path included a 0-0 draw with Spain in their opener, the result that put Cape Verde second in Group E.
