All 48 World Cup 2026 teams ranked after group stage

1. France (last 32, first in Group I)

With an embarrassment of riches in attack, led by Kylian Mbappe, the under-rated Adrien Rabiot outstanding in midfield, William Saliba strong in defence, and much strength in depth, France have owned the favourites’ tag and hype with a perfect three wins, and still looked to have another couple of gears in them if required.

2. Argentina (last 32, first in Group J)

With Lionel Messi doing Messi things (six goals in three games), and his teammates happily and willingly serving as his supporting cast, defending champions Argentina breezed through the group stage, albeit with wins against relatively easy opponents in Algeria, Austria and Jordan.

3. Mexico (last 32, first in Group A)

Three wins, six goals scored, zero conceded, and not more than two shots on target allowed each game. Co-hosts Mexico have been motivated, methodological, and masterful without over-relying on a particular star player.

4. Cape Verde (last 32, second in Group H)

For a country with around half a million in population to qualify for the World Cup is already some feat. To hold Saudi Arabia (0-0) and former world champions Spain (0-0) and Uruguay (2-2) to draws and progress to the knockout round as unbeaten Group H runners-up have ensured their place in footballing history.

5. Netherlands (last 32, first in Group F)

Outsiders for the title, the Dutch looked good. Some loose strings in defence but Bart Verbruggen has been big with 12 saves – the most among goalkeepers from group winners – and they have been lively and clinical in attack in the absence of a No. 9. Just in case they need one, three-goal Brian Brobbey has stepped up.

6. United States (last 32, first in Group D)

Buoyed by the home crowd, the Americans co-hosts were swashbuckling in attack and have spread the goals around with six different scorers. They also benefited from own goals with dangerous balls into the box as they lived up to expectations to top Group D.

7. England (last 32, first in Group L)

Dominated Croatia (4-2), Ghana (0-0) and Panama (2-0) with mixed results. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham looked up for it although it feels like the Three Lions are playing within themselves and can still up their levels in the knockout rounds.

8. Switzerland (last 32, first in Group B)

Overcame an opening 1-1 speed bump against Qatar to top Group B with seven goals, their joint-highest group-stage tally alongside the 2014 edition. Three-goal Johan Manzambi, a 20-year-old midfielder, has been a revelation.

9. Morocco (last 32, second in Group C)

Justified their top-10 billing. Should have beaten Brazil but built on the 1-1 draw to beat Scotland 1-0 and showed calmness to come back twice and down Haiti 4-2. Converted striker Ismael Saibari has impressed by scoring once in every game.

10. Colombia (last 32, first in Group K)

Dominated Uzbekistan, DR Congo and Portugal and topped Group K even without any goals or moments of magic from icon James Rodriguez, but can be more clinical.

11. Brazil (last 32, first in Group C)

Gradually clicking into form after a fortunate 1-1 opening draw against Morocco. The five-time world champions continue to be blessed with attacking talent like Vinicius Jr (four goals) and Matheus Cunha (three), whose goals helped them top Group C.

12. Japan (last 32, second in Group F)

The best-performing Asian team so far, they have taken the initiative regardless of opponents and have shown they are a match for anyone even without the injured Wataru Endo and Kaoru Mitoma. A 4-0 win over Tunisia sandwiched by draws with the Netherlands (2-2) and Sweden (1-1) compiled their first unbeaten group campaign at the World Cup.

13. Spain (last 32, first in Group H)

No goals conceded, but they have not exactly set the tournament alight yet. Still topped Group H, but even with Lamine Yamal, they struggled to register more than one shot at goal against Uruguay.

14. Germany (last 32, first in Group E)

Topped Group E, but progressively got worse in finishing after thrashing Curacao 7-1. Losing 2-1 to Ecuador through “tactical suicide” was inconsequential as they had beaten Ivory Coast 2-1 before that. But at the other end, the well-oiled German defence was leaky, and that must be worrying in the knockout rounds.

15. Belgium (last 32, first in Group G)

Ended the group stage stronger than they started as Leandro Trossard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku finally came alive. But beating New Zealand 5-1 after draws with Egypt (1-1) and Iran (0-0) was really nothing to shout about for a team of Belgium’s pedigree.

16. Ivory Coast (last 32, second in Group E)

Essentially secured their first knockout-round appearance with their last-gasp 1-0 win over Ecuador in their opener. Gave Germany a scare before falling 2-1 and eased past Curacao 2-0. The Ivorians have been well-organised and tough to beat.

17. Norway (last 32, second in Group I)

With Erling Haaland in beast mode, Norway did not look like a team who have been away from this stage for 28 years. They still could not match France but their entertaining 3-2 win over Senegal was a good curtain raiser for their tantalising last-32 game against Ivory Coast.

18. Croatia (last 32, second in Group L)

Came back twice but ran out of steam in the 4-2 loss to England, but recovered well to edge out Panama 1-0 and Ghana 2-1 for second place in Group L. Luka Modric showed he is still important with two blocks and the assist for Nikola Vasic’s winner against Ghana.

19. Egypt (last 32, second in Group G)

Solid but unspectacular, the Pharoahs could have topped Group G had they held on to their lead against Belgium or Iran. They were also lucky to avoid losing to Iran, thanks to a video assistant referee offside call. A defeat would have landed them in a tougher group as one of the best third-placed sides.

20. Austria (last 32, second in Group J)

A mature squad with just two players younger than 25 had to use all of their experience and mental strength to turn a tournament-ending 3-2 defeat by Algeria into a last-32 qualifying 3-3 draw with just a couple of minutes to spare.

21. Canada (last 32, second in Group B)

A comeback 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a home-crowd pleasing 6-0 thumping of Qatar, and a narrow 2-1 defeat by Switzerland saw the co-hosts progress to the knockout round for the first time as Group B runners-up.

22. Australia (last 32, second in Group D)

Counter-attacked brilliantly to stun Turkey 2-0 in their opener and smartly avoided defeat against Paraguay to finish Group D runners-up.

23. South Africa (last 32, second in Group A)

Looked overwhelmed in the opener against co-hosts Mexico, but did well to overcome that 2-0 defeat and two red cards to hold Czech Republic 1-1 and beat the fancied South Koreans 1-0 to make the knockout round for the first time as Group A runners-up.

24. Portugal (last 32, second in Group K)

The only group favourites to not top their quarter, Portugal were arguably the most disappointing team from the world’s top 10 and even among 12 group runners-up. Aside from his brace against a poor Uzbekistan side, Cristiano Ronaldo looked more like a liability, holding back his talented teammates as they failed to beat DR Congo and Colombia.

25. Sweden (last 32, third in Group F)

Making the most of the occasion after qualifying via the play-offs backdoor with their Nations League third-tier win, the Swedes posted Jekyll-and-Hyde results with a 5-1 win over Tunisia and a 5-1 loss to the Netherlands before advancing with a 1-1 draw with Japan. But they have been free-flowing and fun to watch.

26. Ecuador (last 32, third in Group E)

Another South American team who had to do it the hard way after a surprise 0-0 draw with minnows Curacao and failing to score in their first two games. They opened their accounts in time to come from behind and beat four-time champions Germany to get to the crucial four-point mark.

27. DR Congo (last 32, third in Group K)

Nailed the four-point mark despite conceding the opener in the resilient 1-1 draw against Portugal and 3-1 win over Uzbekistan. Yoane Wissa scored just three times in 28 games for Newcastle but managed that tally in just three matches at the World Cup.

28. Ghana (last 32, third in Group L)

Regardless of whether juju magic was involved, the lowest-ranked African team at this World Cup, world No. 65 Ghana can claim to have outdone themselves with a fortuitous 1-0 win over Panama and goal-less draw against England to advance to the last 32.

29. Senegal (last 32, third in Group I)

A better team than their three points on paper suggest, Senegal were unlucky to be in the same group as France (1-3) and Norway (2-3), who have two of the world’s most fearsome attackers. They still managed to net in each game, with eight goals spread among five scorers, and have a strong and balanced first team.

30. Bosnia and Herzegovina (last 32, third in Group B)

Did what they had to do – beat the poorest team in the group (Qatar, 3-1) – in a weak group and get another point elsewhere (Canada, 1-1) to secure at least third spot (behind Canada on goal difference) and advance.

31. Algeria (last 32, third in Group J)

Showed good tenacity to recover from 0-1 down to beat Jordan 2-1, and then 0-1 and 1-2 down against Austria for a 3-3 draw with key man Riyad Mahrez striking form just when they needed it.

32. Iran (eliminated, third in Group G)

Always sickening to be eliminated without losing against Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt. Iran displayed their never-say-die attitude amid political tensions and having to travel out of Mexico for each group game. Desperately unlucky to have a late winner against Egypt ruled out by the VAR for a marginal offside that would have seen them take the Africans’ place in the last 32.

33. Paraguay (last 32, third in Group D)

Suffered but succeeded in progressing. Showed good fighting spirit to bounce back from a 4-1 opening loss to the United States and beat Turkey 1-0 with 10 men, before hanging on for a 0-0 draw with Australia for third place and four points.

34. Scotland (eliminated, third in Group C)

Tough luck to be drawn into a group with two top-10 teams in Brazil and Morocco. Missed out on the third-place lottery on goal difference, and will rue not being able to get any point or shot on target in the 1-0 loss to Morocco.

35. South Korea (eliminated, third in Group A)

Coach Hong Myung-bo was praised for replacing Son Heung-min with Oh Hyeon-gyu, who scored the winner in their 2-1 comeback victory over the Czech Republic to help South Korea get to within one point of progression. He was then criticised for not starting Son in the damaging 1-0 loss to South Africa. But the fact is Son did not deliver in over 170 minutes at this World Cup.

36. Curacao (eliminated, last in Group E)

The smallest team at a World Cup scored a goal against four-time champions Germany, recorded their first point with a draw against Ecuador, and can exit with heads held high.

37. New Zealand (eliminated, last in Group G)

Out with just a point, but a star was born with 26-year-old Elijah Just announcing his arrival with three goals that make him his country’s all-time top scorer at the World Cup.

38. Panama (eliminated, last in Group L)

Still looking for their first World Cup point, but Panama played much better than during their 2018 debut. Only 23 teams conceded fewer than the four goals they let in against England, Croatia and Ghana, whom they were unlucky not to beat after dominating the Africans in the opening game. Their biggest problem was being the only team not to score.

39. Saudi Arabia (eliminated, last in Group H)

Needed a win against Cape Verde but failed. All the billions spent on enhancing the Saudi Pro League with big-name signings, so that the national team’s 25 local-based players can learn a thing or two from the stars, ultimately came to naught.

40. Jordan (eliminated, last in Group J)

Lacking in resources, the debutants were not expected to cause many problems to Austria, Algeria and Argentina, but they managed to defend strongly and pass confidently in spells, and scored in all of their three losses.

41. Qatar (eliminated, last in Group B)

The Asian champions rode their luck and got their first World Cup point against Group B winners Switzerland, and doubled their goal tally from 2022 to two, but otherwise remained out of their depth at this level.

42. Czech Republic (eliminated, last in Group A)

Scored only from set-pieces and have only themselves to blame for failing to hold on to leads in the 2-1 loss against South Korea and 1-1 draw with South Africa. Things went further south in their last Group A game when they could have finished second by beating Mexico, who were already assured of top spot, but lost 3-0 instead.

43. Haiti (eliminated, last in Group C)

The lowest-ranked team at this World Cup at 87th, there were no real expectations. They left with no points but can claim to have prevented Brazil and Scotland from scoring in the second half and held Morocco to a 2-2 draw at half-time.

44. Uzbekistan (eliminated, last in Group K)

Especially outplayed against Portugal in their three losses, and would rue not doing better after equalising against Colombia and taking an early lead against DR Congo on their tournament debut.

45. Iraq (eliminated, last in Group I)

Their goalkeeping department suffered severe stage fright as Jalal Hassan and Ahmed Basil Fadhil conceded a joint-high 12 goals, including some terrible howlers, alongside Tunisia.

46. Turkey (eliminated, last in Group D)

Flattered to deceive. Does not make it better to know that Arda Guler and Turkey sparked into life only in the 3-2 dead-rubber win over Group D winners United States when they were already eliminated in last place after losing 2-0 to Australia and 1-0 to Paraguay.

47. Uruguay (eliminated, third in Group H)

With so much experience in veterans such as Fernando Muslera, Guillermo Varela, Federico Valverde and Darwin Nunez, the two-time winners’ early exit from a group comprising Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia with just two points amid talks of a mutiny against coach Marcelo Bielsa is unacceptable.

48. Tunisia (eliminated, last in Group F)

After a 5-1 spanking by Sweden, Sabri Lamouchi became Tunisia’s fifth coaching casualty since they qualified for the World Cup and the first coach ever to be sacked after one group game. Even Herve Renard, who masterminded Saudi Arabia’s 2-1 win over Argentina in 2022, could not turn fortunes as an abysmal Tunisia lost 4-0 to Japan and 3-1 to Sweden and failed to advance from the group stage again. Incredibly, they had not conceded any goals during 10 qualifiers.