The World Cup is here. With things underway, we have little choice but to rank those teams. Rank them by power. Power rank them, if you will.
The World Cup is here with a whopping and frankly silly 48 teams knocking about North America. With things under way, we have little choice but to rank those teams. Rank them by power. Power rank them, if you will.
We really cannot stress enough that these rankings are neither definitive, nor set in stone, nor remotely worth getting worked up about. Okay? Yeah? Okay.
Before proceeding, it will definitely be worth reminding yourselves how this all works because obviously this is – for so many reasons – a World Cup like no other.
The full details from December’s group-stage draw can be found here, and the final 26-man squads everyone has brought to the tournament are here.
48) Curacao
Held off Jamaica to qualify for their first ever World Cup and in doing so become the smallest ever nation – both in population and area – ever to make it to the finals. It’s a miracle they got there and their goal against Germany was a great moment whatever comes next.
47) South Africa
Hadn’t made it back to the World Cup since hosting in 2010, but finished third at AFCON two years ago and qualified ahead of Nigeria in their 2026 qualification group despite having to forfeit a game they won 2-0 after fielding an ineligible player.
They might be wishing Yaya Sithole was disqualified from playing after that disasterclass in the opening game against Mexico. South Africa already look like by far the weakest team in Group A. Which given Group A is a weak group to begin with is a bit of a problem.
46) Panama
Agonisingly close to securing their first ever World Cup point before Ghana’s late heartbreaker in Ontario. But the brutal assessment now, based on all we saw in that game and England’s win over Croatia, is that the chances of Panama landing that elusive point at this tournament are now slim indeed.
45) Haiti
Returning to the World Cup for the first time in over half a century. That time they lost all three games.
Their first game this time out against Scotland was absolutely enormous for both sides and it did not go their way. Given it’s Brazil and Morocco up next, we are struggling to see where a single point comes from.
44) Iraq
Showed plenty of quality and no little heart against Norway, but the way they faded in the second half doesn’t augur well in a horrible group that also features France and Senegal.
Based on the first 45 minutes against Norway, could absolutely have made the last 32 with a kinder draw. Instead, face a huge fight just to bag a point.
43) Tunisia
World Cup stalwarts who now turn attention to another bid to get beyond the group stage for the first time in the finals themselves.
Sacking their manager after an opening-game paddling by Sweden is not the move of a stable regime.
42) Iran
For entirely non-footballing reasons (or what would be entirely non-footballing reasons if Gianni Infantino hadn’t decided to give a warmongering toddler a made-up Peace Prize) a very capable Iran team who came through Asia’s competitive qualification process in decent style had to initially sit right at the foot of this list purely because until we actually saw them playing actual World Cup games we still couldn’t entirely rule out Donald Trump doing something mental and just not letting them play while FIFA shrug and go ‘Ah, what can you do?’ and ruffling his extraordinary hair.
So the fact that they took to the field (and drew with New Zealand) sees them make a move in an upwards direction.
41) New Zealand
Chris Wood and co. are among the biggest winners of the expanded World Cup format, one that for the first time hands the best team in the OFC a ticket straight to the World Cup rather than a ticklish play-off against Uruguay or some such. Until and unless Australia come crawling back, that ticket is almost certain to go New Zealand’s way as it has this time.
A warm-up thrashing from Haiti wasn’t the most encouraging way to start, but they were better – or at least not thrashed – against an England side very much in warm-up mode. A 2-2 draw with Iran in their opening game was an encouraging start.
40) Jordan
Another first-time qualifier from the Asian section, while a run to their first ever Asian Cup final in 2023 shows they are not to be lightly dismissed. Do we think they can get the better of Argentina in Group J? We do not. They pushed Austria but not hard enough.
39) Saudi Arabia
Home advantage helped them get over the line in the fourth stage of AFC qualification after they failed to get the job done in the third stage.
Being one of the best third-place teams looks like the main goal for the Saudis in a group featuring Spain and Uruguay, and they will be more than happy with an opening draw v Uruguay.
38) Uzbekistan
The expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams was always going to offer opportunities, and Uzbekistan were among the first to grab theirs.
They have qualified for every Asian Cup since independence but never before now a World Cup. They are also the first double-landlocked country to reach a World Cup. Time for Liechtenstein to pull their finger out.
Every chance Uzbekistan’s hopes will come to rest entirely on the final match of their group stage against DR Congo, with Portugal and Colombia clear favourites for the top two spots.
37) Czech Republic
The four UEFA play-off winners were, for the most part, hugely fortunate in the main group-stage draw that took place three months before we even knew who the precise beneficiaries would be.
By sitting in pot four by default, all manner of group-of-death unpleasantness might have awaited but three of the four bagged the hosts from pot one. Czech Republic, having seen off Denmark, will very correctly fancy their chances of emerging from a group containing Mexico, South Korea and South Africa.
The defeat to South Korea in their first game having led was admittedly a setback, but it isn’t difficult to envisage them using the third-placed backdoor to the knockouts.
36) Algeria
Nothing is ruined by an opening-game defeat to Argentina, but margin for error is now significantly reduced after going down by three goals against an inspired Lionel Messi. Should still feel confident about taking four points off Austria and Jordan, but do probably now need to do precisely that to be sure of a last-32 spot.
35) Paraguay
Haven’t appeared at the World Cup finals since a quarter-final appearance in 2010 but made it comfortably enough this time around.
A humbling experience at last year’s Copa America in the USA isn’t ideal major tournament prep, and a nightmare start sees them drop significantly.
34) Senegal
Quarter-finalists in 2002, knocked out by England in the last 16 in Qatar, Africa’s true champions Senegal won a tough qualifying group and face another tough task at the finals. Gave a decent account of themselves in defeat to France but, with Norway still to come and a -2 goal difference, face an uphill task to qualify now.
33) Qatar
The 2023 Asian Cup champions and 2022 hosts had to take the long route to qualification having failed to make it directly to North America from the third round of Asian qualifying, but home advantage for October’s quick-fire fourth group stage helped them over the line.
They have already done better than the three defeats they managed on debut last time out, grinding out an impressive if mildly inexplicable draw with Switzerland.
32) Cape Verde
One of the truly incredible stories of this qualification process, Cape Verde confirmed their place at a World Cup for the very first time after winning their group at the expense of Cameroon.
A draw against Spain was a bona fide miracle and gives them a puncher’s chance of getting out of their group.
31) Canada
The automatic qualifiers have ticked off the first objective of improving on a World Cup finals record that read played six, lost six after group-stage exits in 1986 and 2022, having earned a 1-1 draw against Bosnia in their tournament opener that could and should have been a win.
A run to the 2024 Copa America semi-finals in which their only defeats came against Argentina offered plenty of hope, while playing Switzerland (clearly the strongest team on paper in Group B) last gives Canada a genuine chance to get the job done with a win against Qatar next.
READ: American idiots? Did USMNT botch it with former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch?
30) DR Congo
Good value for an opening point against a much-fancied Portugal side – a result that puts DR Congo just one win over either Colombia or Uzbekistan away from the knockout rounds.
29) Turkey
One of the unluckier teams to find themselves in the UEFA play-offs after taking being far too strong for everyone not called Spain in their first-round group. But they’ve been luckier since then. Got a pretty kindly draw in those play-offs and duly capitalised, and haven’t landed in a bad spot in the tournament itself at all. Given all the play-off teams were in pot four by default, ending up in a group with USA, Paraguay and Australia is an absolute result. Losing to the latter was not.
28) Ecuador
Have only once made it beyond the World Cup group stage – in 2006, when they were narrowly beaten by England in the last 16 – but have now reached a fifth World Cup in the last seven, having also reached the quarter-finals in three of the last four Copa America.
Losing to Ivory Coast in the opening game was not in the script.
27) Austria
Held off Bosnia to top their group and reach their first World Cup since France 98. Which seems a truly mad amount of time for them not to have made it.
Surely won’t topple Argentina in Group J, but will fancy their chances of second place at the expense of Algeria and Jordan. Victory over the latter was an excellent start.
26) Egypt
A strong contender for biggest World Cup underachievers given they are seven-time champions of Africa with a long and deep football heritage who have nevertheless made it to the World Cup only three times, with a best of the last 16 (when it was in fact then the first round) back in 1934.
Went out in the group stage in 1990 and 2018 but looked very decent indeed in qualification this time around. Mo Salah and co were among the earlier African teams to confirm top spot – and thus World Cup qualification – in their group.
Iran and New Zealand offer significant opportunities for Egypt in the group stage, with a draw v Belgium setting them up nicely.
25) Bosnia
Pied off Italy to condemn the four-time winners to a third straight World Cup watching on from home. And they still should fancy their chances of making it to the knockouts from a soft group, but they were fortunate to escape with a 1-1 draw from their tournament opener against the co-hosts Canada.
24) Colombia
Missed out on Qatar 2022 after finishing sixth in South American qualifying. That would have been good enough this time around with the tournament expansion, but Colombia ended up third in what was a tightly packed bunch of automatic CONMEBOL qualifiers stumbling over the line behind runaway leaders Argentina.
Reached the quarter-finals and last 16 in 2014 and 2018 and finished third and second in the last two editions of the Copa America to highlight tournament know-how that should not be lightly dismissed. Haven’t come out of the draw too badly either, with Portugal their top seed alongside Uzbekistan and DR Congo.
23) Ghana
Not good at all against Panama, but got the win and that might well be enough to get them into the last 32 if they can just avoid humiliation against Group L powerhouses England and Croatia.
22) Croatia
Needed all their class and tournament know-how – they’re finalists and semi-finalists from the last two World Cups, after all – just to stay with England in the opening game. By the end of it, they looked awful old and awful tired. But not quite actually awful.
Should still be fine getting out of the group with Panama and Ghana to come, but we have doubts about just how far they can go this time.
21) Scotland
Back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998, and the fact there is quite literally nothing Scott McTominay can’t do means they cannot be airily dismissed. And if they still can’t get beyond the group stage when 32 teams will make it…
The games against Brazil and Morocco will be tasty group-stage fare, and the opener against Haiti absolutely screamed must-win. They delivered and barring a paddling in one of their next two games really could be enough for a knockout spot on its own.
The evidence from the Euros in 2021 and 2024 tells us that three points will put you in a goal-difference fight for one of the third-place qualification spots.
20) Switzerland
Two things we know about Switzerland at the World Cup. They qualify, and then they get out of the group, and then they go out in the last 16. That’s been the case at five of the last eight. It’s not quite Mexico levels, but it’s the closest Europe can manage.
Got the dream result of Canada from pot one and would absolutely expect to come out on top in a group also featuring Bosnia and Qatar, but an opening draw with the latter was a setback.
19) Uruguay
Already through to the 2030 World Cup as well as a ‘commemorative match host’ and came safely through the CONMEBOL qualification process with a game to spare as they look to put a disappointing 2022 World Cup behind them.
Failing to fully capitalise on Spain’s stumble against Cape Verde is a real missed opportunity. It leaves Uruguay still most likely to finish second in Group H, and that’s no good. Because the Group H runners-up are one of the unfortunate ones to land a group winner in the last 32, and in Uruguay’s case that would be the winners of Group J. So most likely Argentina. Oof.
18) Australia
Have secured their spot at a sixth consecutive World Cup and, while no longer the team of Viduka, Kewell and co, remain typically Australian in their reluctance to go quietly and should absolutely fancy their chances in a p*ss-weak group.
Reached the last 16 in Qatar, but haven’t been beyond the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup since winning it in 2015 in Ange Postecoglou’s second year in charge. It’s what he does, mate.
Won’t be quaking in their boots about facing USA, Turkey and Paraguay in what looks like the softest of all the various first-stage groups. But in all honesty, we did not expect them to open with a win over Turkey.
17) Ivory Coast
Came through a tough qualification battle with Gabon to win their group and reach their fourth World Cup and have a very plausible route out of a group containing Germany, Ecuador and Curacao. Beating Ecuador in their opening game was impressive.
16) Sweden
Massive ‘Tottenham in the Champions League’ vibes from Sweden here, who have bantered their way to the actual World Cup on the back of finishing bottom of their qualification group with a record of P6 W0 D2 L4. Their Nations League performance earned them a play-off safety net they absolutely didn’t deserve but upon which they capitalised in undeniably impressive style.
And they do have a squad containing plenty of quality. Having somehow got here, they are already causing mischief. Battering Tunisia was an excellent start that reminded us that there’s some real attacking talent in that team.
15) South Korea
Haven’t missed a World Cup since 1982 and never really looked like doing so this time around after a rock-solid AFC qualification campaign, and got the prize every pot-two team craved of landing one of the co-hosts as their pot-one opposition. Will surely fancy their chances of topping Group A ahead of Mexico, which obviously opens up a theoretically more straightforward knockout path for a very handy team.
Both won their opening games, setting up a decisive clash in the group’s second set of matches on June 18.
14) Japan
First qualified for the World Cup in 1998 and haven’t missed one since. Didn’t make life easy for Netherlands in Group F after pulling England’s pants down at Wembley, but there’s a strong case that – with Sweden and Tunisia also in there – F is the toughest of all the groups.
13) Mexico
Finally ended their streak of seven straight last-16 World Cup exits in Qatar, but not in the way they would have wanted. Qualified automatically here as hosts, and did win the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2023 before failing to get beyond the group stage of the 2024 Copa America.
Being automatically placed into Group A as seeded hosts gave them an easier group-stage path than would otherwise have been the case, and they took full advantage by exorcising some Siphiwe Tshabalala-sized demons in the tournament opener against South Africa.
12) Belgium
The golden generation is fading from view but they remain ranked inside the world’s top eight and won’t be a soft touch. Not a bad draw either, with a creditable draw v Egypt meaning they’ve already taken care of the toughest test of the group stage without damage.
11) Portugal
Portugal can definitely win this tournament, but a limp 1-1 opening draw with DR Congo did nothing to alter the growing sense that there will have to be some difficult conversations about Cristiano Ronaldo’s impact on a new Golden Generation.
10) Morocco
One of the great stories of the last World Cup, where they became the first African side ever to reach the last four. Were also the first African team to qualify for 2026 and should go well again. Brazil as the top seed in their group is firmly in the could have been better, could have been worse category these days. A draw was a very decent start.
9) USA
Have reached the knockout stages at five of the last eight World Cups and would expect to at least match the last-16 effort from the last time they hosted in 1994.
Came out of the draw in good shape, with Australia the weakest team in pot two and Turkey not the worst outcome if you had to end up with a UEFA play-off qualifier from pot four.
Hard to deny it would be hilarious if they go out early, right up until the moment their president responds by launching all-out nuclear war on every other country in the world as a dirty protest. That felt plausible before a wonderful opener against Paraguay.
8) Netherlands
Narrowly beaten by Argentina in the quarters in Qatar and somehow beaten by England in the Euros semi-final, so recent tournament pedigree is solid enough and the squad is positively dripping in Premier League quality.
Were slightly unfortunate in the draw as the one big seed to get what nobody wanted; a UEFA play-off winner from pot four. And a resurgent Sweden were arguably the worst UEFA play-off winner to land once Italy had f*cked it. Throw Japan (points have already been dropped) into the mix, and you’ve got a group that absolutely wouldn’t look out of place in a 24-team World Cup, never mind 48.
7) Brazil
These are not glorious times for world football’s most decorated nation having made just one World Cup semi-final since 2002, and even that is one they would rather not talk about too much, thanks all the same.
A quarter-final exit at last year’s Copa America and none-too-convincing qualifying campaign don’t exactly indicate all is about to change, but they have qualified comfily enough and are still Brazil. And now they have Carlo Ancelotti and his eyebrows. Which could be massive. And not just the eyebrows.
A draw with Morocco should do very little real damage but it’s definitely sub-optimal and keeps them down this list.
6) Norway
An inexplicably miserable major tournament record having last reached the World Cup in 1998 and not even getting themselves to a Euros since 2000.
But a solid squad sprinkled with plenty of stardust thanks to your Erling Haalands and Martin Odegaards have already served notice of what they’re about with a 4-1 win over Iraq in their opening game. It gets inevitably tougher from here with games against Senegal and France to come, but absolutely nobody is going to want to find themselves facing these lads in a knockout game. And they’re pretty much already sure of being there.
5) Germany
Something strange has happened to Germany in recent tournament cycles. The old rule was that no matter how unconvincing they might look between majors, you could famously Never Rule Out The Germans when the serious business of tournament ball began.
The new rule is that no matter how good they look between majors, you simply cannot trust a really exciting squad of players to deliver when the big tournaments come around.
For now, the decision must therefore be where a game against Curacao to kick-off their World Cup campaign sits.
Yes it was ‘only’ Curacao but that was a proper paddlin’. And in this format means they’ve basically already qualified for the last 32.
4) Spain
Won the Euros in thrilling style and possess a young, deep squad that should only improve, though they did lose the Nations League final to Portugal.
‘Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay is not too formidable a group either’ is what we wrote before they drew with the first of those. But everybody remembers Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in their opening game four years ago…
3) England
Doesn’t take much for the England major tournament hype train to start chugging out of the station, and winning 4-2 in the best game of the opening round will certainly do it.
But… maybe it should? Nobody beat better opposition than Croatia in these first set of games. France’s win over Senegal is the only other serious contender for most impressive win over high-calibre opposition that we’ve seen so far.
And the sheer quality of England’s attacking play against a very good team was startling at times. They scored four, and could have had twice as many. If they could defend they might even have taken top spot.
2) France
There’s still work to do in what, based on the evidence we’ve seen so far, is among the tougher groups this summer but the scary thing in many ways is just how unimpressive France were for so long before overpowering a high-class Senegal side in their Group I opener.
Kylian Mbappe and France stunk for 55 minutes but then flicked a switch and tore Senegal to shreds to establish themselves as the team to beat. For about, ooh, four or five hours.
1) Argentina
The reigning World and South American champions had held top spot from the first iteration of these rankings until a Kylian Mbappe-inspired France toppled them. A few hours and one Lionel Messi hat-trick against Algeria later, and order is restored.
After stumbles from Brazil, Spain and Netherlands, here we had two of the tournament’s biggest guns sending a warning to the rest of the field. The last two winners, and the two teams who contested the epic 2022 final, once again appear very much the teams everyone else has to find some way to stop.
