Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app<\/a><\/p>\n 2. Argentina<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 1<\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n Lionel Messi is regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, but did we see this coming? Complete domination by the 39-year-old, who has now scored all five of Argentina\u2019s goals in their two wins and became the World Cup\u2019s all-time leading scorer after his double against Austria.<\/p>\n The defence will be pleased too after consecutive clean sheets, though Cristian Romero\u2019s substitution against Austria due to a knee injury is a concern.<\/p>\n It might be beneficial for some of their other forward players to pick up form as Messi can\u2019t win the World Cup single-handedly. Or can he?<\/a><\/p>\n 3. Spain<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 2<\/p>\n \u2b06\ufe0f\u00a01<\/p>\n Responded to the humiliation of drawing against Cape Verde in their opener by producing one of the most one-sided performances of the tournament so far in beating Saudi Arabia 4-0. They had 22 shots, produced 2.85 xG and could easily have scored a few more.<\/p>\n Lamine Yamal scored 10 minutes into his first World Cup start and got 45 minutes under his belt, while Mikel Oyarzabal overcame the embarrassment of not touching the ball for the first half-hour against Cape Verde by scoring twice.<\/p>\n Now to complete the Group H job by beating Uruguay on Friday.<\/p>\n 4. Brazil<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 6<\/p>\n \u2b06\ufe0f 1<\/p>\n After their opening draw with Morocco, Brazil have gone from strength to strength, with two 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland.<\/p>\n They have been comfortable letting the opposition have the ball and pouncing at the right moments, and have played with more of an edge since Manchester United\u2019s Matheus Cunha came in up front against Haiti<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vinicius Jr is their star of the tournament, with four goals already, while Neymar made a substitute appearance against Scotland<\/a>.<\/p>\n Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s side topped Group C \u2014 but their round-of-32 opponents, Japan, won\u2019t be pushovers.<\/p>\n 5. Netherlands<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 8<\/p>\n \u2b06\ufe0f\u00a02<\/p>\n Ten goals in three games, with convincing wins over Sweden and Tunisia and a draw against Japan \u2014 the Netherlands made their group stage look pretty comfortable, with Brian Brobbey scoring three and Cody Gakpo and Crysencio Summerville adding two each.<\/p>\n But they now face a challenging round-of-32 opponent \u2014 Morocco on Monday in Monterrey. We will soon find out whether they, and Ronald Koeman\u2019s coaching, stack up.<\/p>\n \n Brian Brobbey scores the Netherlands\u2019 second goal against Sweden (Molly Darlington\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n 6. England<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 4<\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n A dull, underwhelming performance and result<\/a> against lower-ranked opponents? England, you\u2019re back! After the excitement, goals and thrilling attacking football of their 4-2 victory over Croatia, the 0-0 draw against Ghana has stopped everyone shouting: \u201cIt\u2019s coming home.\u201d<\/a> Well, for a few days at least. Victory against Panama in their final group match will get England back on track as group winners.<\/p>\n 7. Germany<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 10<\/p>\n \u2b07\ufe0f\u00a04<\/p>\n Germany lost against Ecuador, but in fairness, they had already secured their spot as Group E winners, while Ecuador needed a win to progress. The worry is that they started with a near-enough strongest XI, before rotating with substitutes and buckling under the intensity.<\/p>\n They take a drop in our rankings as the contenders above them are yet to lose a game, but Julian Nagelsmann\u2019s team still made light work of Curacao and beat a capable Ivory Coast.<\/p>\n According to The Athletic\u2019s live predictor tool,<\/a> they have a 99 per cent chance of facing Paraguay in the round of 32.<\/p>\n 8. Morocco<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 7<\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n So far, so good for Mohamed Ouahbi, who was hired as Morocco\u2019s manager in March, having led the nation to victory at the Under-20 World Cup in 2025.<\/p>\n In Group C, they went toe-to-toe with Brazil before beating Scotland and Haiti rather convincingly. Using Ismael Saibari to lead the line has proved an inspired choice \u2014 he has scored one goal in every group game.<\/p>\n Their round-of-32 draw hasn\u2019t been kind, though. They will be in Monterrey, facing another top 10 team in our rankings, the Netherlands.<\/p>\n 9. Norway<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 31<\/p>\n \u2b06\ufe0f1<\/p>\n The dark horses are galloping on to the knockouts and have to be taken more seriously after their 3-2 win over Senegal.<\/p>\n Norway ran the (stripped<\/a>) African champions\u2019 defence ragged. They had chances galore and forced mistakes from the opposition backline.<\/p>\n Conceding late made the victory less emphatic, but seven goals in two games speak to their firepower. Key to that is Erling Haaland, who is proving unstoppable after another double. They have shown defensive vulnerability, but have been able to outscore their opposition.<\/p>\n 10. Mexico<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 13<\/p>\n \u2b06\ufe0f 1<\/p>\n The first team to collect three wins from three in the group stage. Mexico scored six goals and kept three clean sheets, beating the Czech Republic 3-0 with a rotated side on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Several Mexico players caught the eye, including 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora and forward Julian Quinones<\/a>, who has scored two goals.<\/p>\n Winning Group A means they will stay in Mexico City for the round of 32 (and, if they make it through, the round of 16), with The Athletic\u2019s live prediction tool forecasting a 71 per cent chance of facing Ecuador.<\/p>\n 11. United States<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 17<\/p>\n \u2b07\ufe0f 2<\/p>\n The U.S. have been responsible for bringing great excitement to the tournament as one of the three co-hosts. Their positive and adventurous football has not been short of goals. But after rotating against Turkey, they lost some momentum, suffering a late 3-2 loss.<\/p>\n Still, with an elite coach, Mauricio Pochettino, in the dugout, their fans are full of confidence entering the knockouts, asking, \u2018Why not U.S.?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Facing Bosnia and Herzegovina in the next round, they will fancy their chances of reaching the last 16.<\/p>\n 12. Colombia<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 14<\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n A team of attacking talent and with willing runners aplenty, they have a 100 per cent record with two wins from two. Neither victory was wholly convincing, with a wobble against Uzbekistan and then an unnecessarily tight 1-0 victory over DR Congo<\/a>, but Colombia have achieved their first aim of the tournament by progressing to the knockout stages.<\/p>\n To do it with a game to spare takes the pressure off their lip-licking game with Portugal this weekend, but they\u2019ll still want to top the group, which they can do with a draw.<\/p>\n 13. Portugal<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 5<\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n Portugal put right the wrongs of their underwhelming opener against DR Congo with a much-needed 5-0 shellacking of Uzbekistan to get their tournament up and running.<\/p>\n The fact Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice<\/a> wasn\u2019t just an historic moment (he became the first man to score in six different World Cups) but important to quell the incessant noise about his place in the side, at least for a few days.<\/p>\n However, given how overawed and inexperienced the Uzbek defence was, any excitement at Portugal\u2019s overall prospects should be tempered. Their clash with Colombia next up will tell us more.<\/p>\n 14. Switzerland<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 19<\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n After starting with a draw against Qatar, Switzerland progressed to the knockout stages as Group B winners following victories over Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. An encouraging sign has been the performances of 20-year-old Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi, who has breathed new life into the team with three goals.<\/p>\n After going undefeated, they look likely to have a fairly kind landing in the next phase, with Egypt (23 per cent), Iran (21 per cent) and Algeria (17 per cent) among their most likely opponents in the round of 32.<\/p>\n 15. Croatia<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 11<\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n Survived a couple of real scares against Panama to edge a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to substitute Ante Budimir\u2019s close-range finish<\/a>.<\/p>\n How far can Croatia\u2019s golden-olden generation take them in this tournament? The signs in their opening two matches haven\u2019t been great, but one thing we have learned from the finalists in 2018 and semi-finalists in 2022 is to never write them off.<\/p>\n 16. Japan<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 18<\/p>\n \u2b06\ufe0f\u00a01<\/p>\n A likeable team who have impressed in the groups playing an egoless, exciting brand of football, their style was exemplified in their final game, a 1-1 draw with Sweden, in which they took off their captain after 39 minutes and scored a well-crafted team goal.<\/p>\n Japan\u2019s most impressive performance was the 4-0 win over Tunisia in their second group game. They will play Brazil in Houston in the round of 32, and not everyone would rule them out.<\/p>\n 17. Egypt<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 29<\/p>\n \u2b07\ufe0f 1<\/p>\n So far, so good.<\/p>\n They were made to sweat by New Zealand and had to come from behind, but Egypt finally won a match at the World Cup for the first time, inspired by a goal and an assist from Mohamed Salah.<\/p>\n You wouldn\u2019t say they\u2019ve offered much evidence that they can go deep in the tournament, but victory over Iran on Friday will mean they top Group G and would see them paired with a third-placed side in the round of 32.<\/p>\n 18. Ghana<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 73<\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n It couldn\u2019t have gone much better. Victory over Panama was brilliantly backed up with a 0-0 draw against England in a resolute, organised performance.<\/p>\n They could even have won via sporadic, pacy threats on the counter and, if VAR hadn\u2019t gone for a coffee<\/a>, they might have had a penalty for Ezri Konsa\u2019s foul on Prince Kwabena Adu.<\/p>\n Four points from two games essentially secures their progress to the knockout stages.<\/p>\n 19. Canada<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 30<\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n Canada can be happy with their work in the group stages. They emphatically earned their first men\u2019s World Cup win with a 6-0 victory over Qatar as key player Jonathan David found form, scoring a hat-trick.<\/p>\n Ismael Kone breaking his leg against Qatar was a dark cloud<\/a>, but Canada still progressed in second place. They had the chance to finish top and remain on home turf for the round of 32, but lost to Switzerland.<\/p>\n Their opponents for the next round at SoFi Stadium? South Africa. It could be a lot worse.<\/p>\n 20. Ivory Coast<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 33<\/p>\n \u2b06\ufe0f 2<\/p>\n With a 2-0 win over Curacao, Ivory Coast reached the World Cup knockout stages for the first time. The level of their performances in the group phase shows promise to go further, with wingers Yan Diomande and Amad capable of troubling any defence.<\/p>\n Their round-of-32 match-up will test that.\u00a0 They will face the runners-up of Group I \u2014 France or Norway.<\/p>\n 21. Belgium<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 9<\/p>\n \u2b07\ufe0f 1<\/p>\n That FIFA ranking might need updating to a more realistic number.<\/p>\n Belgium\u2019s stats in their second match against Iran (23 shots, 1.82 xG, 70 per cent possession) tell you they dominated the game and should have won, but stats also tell you that Kevin De Bruyne is one of the Premier League\u2019s best ever players and Romelu Lukaku is the Belgian national team\u2019s record goalscorer, and right now those things don\u2019t mean too much.<\/p>\n Belgium look like half a team. They have failed to beat Egypt and Iran, and even if they now beat New Zealand on Friday, how far can they realistically go in this tournament? They need Jeremy Doku back and firing, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n 22. South Korea<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 22<\/p>\n \u2b07\ufe0f 1<\/p>\n South Korea suffered defeat against South Africa in their final group game, but they should still progress to the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams.<\/p>\n They made a promising start with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, but didn\u2019t score again in their second, a loss to Mexico, or third match.<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s live projection tool gives them a 64 per cent chance of making the round of 32, with Egypt (46 per cent) their most likely opponent.<\/p>\n 23. Sweden<\/p>\n FIFA ranking: 38<\/p>\n \u2b06\ufe0f 2<\/p>\n![\"Brian](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2282511388-scaled.jpg\")
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