World Cup 2026 Power Rankings: England and Spain head in opposite directions while record-breaking Lionel Messi keeps Argentina's title defence well on track

Iraq were always going to be up against it in Monday night's meeting with France, but things couldn't have gone much worse for Graham Arnold and his players. Granted, the 3-0 scoreline was by no means embarrassing, but it was immensely frustrating, given they were actually doing well when a shocking defensive mix-up over a goal-kick led to Kylian Mbappe doubling France's lead.

Worse still, Iraq look set to be without captain Aymen Hussein for their must-win meeting with Senegal, after their star striker was forced off through injury in the first half of the game in Philadelphia. It's, thus, hard to see any way back for Arnold's side now.

Fabio Cannavaro's Uzbekistan side gave a good account of themselves in their long-awaited tournament debut against Colombia despite suffering a 3-1 defeat, but they were unable to build upon that when they took on Portugal on Tuesday, and were blown away while shipping five goals in Houston.

And so while they have not been mathematically eliminated, the White Wolves' goal difference means they are going to have to hand out a thrashing to DR Congo if they are to even have any hope of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams.

The smallest nation - both in terms of size and population - to ever reach the World Cup, Curacao were always going to be up against it, and so it proved in their opening game against four-time champions Germany as Dick Advocaat's side were ruthlessly put to the sword, shipping seven in Houston.

However, the tiny Caribbean nation showed superb resolve to bounce back and earn a point against Ecuador, with the performance of goalkeeper Eloy Room one of the most heroic in recent tournament history. Progression via a victory over Ivory Coast is a long shot, but Curacao can be mightily proud of their efforts already.

South Africa looked dead and buried after matchday one. As well as being beaten 2-0 by Mexico, Hugo Broos' side also had two men sent off at the Azteca, with Yaya Sithole and Themba Zwane both shown straight red cards. However, Bafana Bafana showed remarkable fighting spirit to take a point off Czechia in their next match, thanks to an 83rd-minute penalty from Teboho Mokoena, before stunning South Korea in Monterrey with a solitary second-half strike from Thapelo Maseko.

As a result, South Africa are through to the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time ever, and now have a real shot at reaching the last 16 as they'll face a far-from-intimidating Canada side in Los Angeles in the round of 32.

The lowest-ranked team at the World Cup according to FIFA, New Zealand have more than acquitted themselves so far, and should be frustrated to have only earned a solitary point from their opening two games. They twice threw away leads to draw with Iran in their opener before again going in front against Egypt, only to collapse in the second half and lose 3-1.

The All Whites are therefore up against it in terms of reaching the knockouts, though Darren Bazeley'si side will believe they can beat an out-of-sorts Belgium in their final match and make it to the last 32.

For a long time against Uruguay, it looked like Saudi Arabia were going to pull off another shock win in their World Cup opener, only for them to be pegged back with 10 minutes to go. Still, Georgios Donis' side should have taken plenty of confidence into their meeting with Spain, but they were blown away, conceding three goals inside 24 minutes on their way to a 4-0 loss at the hands of La Roja.

Still, a first spot in the knockouts is still within their grasp, with a victory over Cape Verde on matchday three likely to be enough to seal a place in the last 32. Donis will hope his side produce a performance more akin to that they produced against Uruguay rather than the Spain shocker.

Ecuador entered this tournament as potential dark horses due to their impressively mean defence, albeit there were doubts regarding their ability to score goals after drawing five of their final six qualifiers 0-0. And so those concerns have borne out, as after a stoppage-time defeat to Ivory Coast, La Tri failed to find a way to break down Curacao and thus have just one point from their opening two games.

All is not lost yet, as a win over Germany should still earn Ecuador a knockout berth. And while that might seem an improbable prospect given what we've seen so far, Julian Nagelsmann's side have nothing to play for having secured top spot in Group E, and thus may rest their big guns, potentially giving their opponents from South America a chance to sneak through.

As tends to be the pattern with his various coaching jobs, Marcelo Bielsa's time as Uruguay manager may be about to end in car-crash fashion after his side's failure to beat either Saudi Arabia or Cape Verde in their opening two games. On both occasions, La Celeste had the chances to turn draws into victories, but a lack of composure and some individual errors have proven costly.

All is not lost, and even a draw against Spain in their final group game might be enough to edge Uruguay into the last 32. However, given their opponents so far, questions are rightly being asked as to why Bielsa and his players haven't already got the job done before they face the European champions.

The feel-good story of the tournament thus far, Cape Verde arrived as presumed whipping boys in Group H, but have now taken points off both Spain and Uruguay following a pair of heroic performances from the tiny African nation. Some of the football they produced in Miami on Sunday was thrilling, and they have captured the hearts of fans around the world.

They now find themselves in a position where even a draw against Saudi Arabia could be enough to carry them into the knockouts, while a win certainly would - and not just as one of the lucky third-placed teams. The way things are going, few would bet against Cape Verde now.

DR Congo were understandably left deflated by their 1-0 loss to Colombia in Guadalajara. Just as they had done in their shock opening-round draw with Portugal, the Leopards put a colossal amount of effort into frustrating their opponents, and they were just under 15 minutes away from picking up another valuable point when Lionel Mpasi was beaten by a deflected strike from Daniel Munoz.

In truth, though, the defeat changed very little for DR Congo. Just reaching the round of 32 was always their aim. and all they need to do so is beat Uzbekistan in their final group fixture. Nothing can be taken for granted, as Fabio Cannavaro's men can still finish third themselves, but you can be sure that the Congolese would have signed up for this scenario before the World Cup began.

Before Wednesday's 3-1 victory over Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina hadn't won a game inside 90 minutes since last November. However, the tiny Balkan nation that beat both Wales and Italy on penalties in the World Cup play-offs is now through to the knockout stage for the first time ever as one of the best third-placed finishers.

Obviously, they'll be up against it in the round 32, where they'll face buoyant co-hosts, the United States, but Sergej Barbarez's team are unquestionably capable of frustrating stronger sides and in 18-year-old winger Kerim Alajbegovic, they have a real wildcard, as he proved with his wonderful solo strike against Qatar.

Senegal knew they had been handed a tough draw when they were placed in Group I alongside France and Norway, and so it has proven for Pape Thiaw's side after back-to-back defeats in New Jersey. On both occasions, the Lions of Teranga have squandered opportunities to change the course of the matches, but in the end were put to the sword by Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, respectively.

All is not lost, and a heavy win over Iraq could still earn Senegal a place in the knockouts, though there is also a chance that they will be eliminated before they even kick-off in Toronto should results in other groups not go their way.

Iran's treatment at this World Cup, brought on by the shocking influence co-hosts United States have been allowed to exert over a team that hails from a nation they've only just stopped bombing, has been nothing short of disgraceful. And so in those circumstances, Iran them picking up draws against New Zealand and, most notably, Belgium has to be lauded as one of the achievements of the whole tournament.

Though there might be a tinge of disappointment that they couldn't make the most of Belgium playing the final quarter of their goalless draw with 10, but Iran are very much alive in Group G, and know that a win over Egypt would see them miraculously into the knockout rounds. What a fairy tale that would be!

How much will Scotland rue only beating Haiti by a single goal? Though the Tartan Army were able to celebrate their first World Cup victory in 36 years, the margin has put them at risk of elimination following their subsequent defeat to Morocco on matchday two.

And so while Steve Clarke's side could yet emerge from the group stages for the first time in their history even if they lose to Brazil, only a narrow loss to the Selecao would do. Of course, they could earn the point they likely need, but the gap in quality makes that an unlikely scenario.

What on earth are we supposed to make of Sweden now?! A team that qualified for the World Cup through the back door kicked off their finals campaign with an impressive 5-1 win over Tunisia, only to be beaten by the same scoreline by the Netherlands on Saturday.

Coach Graham Potter felt that it wasn't a fair reflection of the game in Houston and the Scandinavians were definitely unlucky to go in two goals down at the break after being the better side in the second 'quarter'. However, while Alexander Isak once again looked lively and combined well with Viktor Gyokeres, Sweden's dodgy defence could be exposed again by a strong Japan side, meaning qualification remains firmly in the balance.

Australia surprisingly reached the last 16 back in 2022, and the Socceroos remain in with a decent chance of once again making the knockouts despite their disappointing display in losing to the United States in Seattle on Friday. The Socceroos barely laid a glove on the co-hosts as they came back down to earth following their shock win over Turkiye.

Those three points mean that a draw against Paraguay will likely see Tony Popovic's side through, and given their opponents are in the same boat, there might not be much in the way of entertainment when they meet in San Francisco on Thursday!...

Playing in their first World Cup since 2010, Paraguay's tournament looked like it might be over before it really began after their thumping defeat at the hands of co-hosts the United States, but they bounced back impressively to score early against Turkiye and then on hold on to their narrow advantage despite having Miguel Almiron sent off shortly before half-time in bizarre circumstances.

Almiron will certainly be a miss for Paraguay's final group game against Australia, but given both sides know a draw will likely see them through, the South American nation may not need to be at their best to get the job done, if you catch our drift...

South Korea could - and indeed should - have taken at least a point out of their matchday-two meeting with Mexico. They were the slightly better side in a pretty poor game in Guadalajara, but came away with nothing because of an abysmal handling error from Kim Seung-Gyu, whose fumble left Luis Romo with an open goal.

The Koreans also missed a glorious chance to earn a share of the spoils in the dying minutes when Cho Gue-Sung headed straight at Raul Rangel from inside the six-yard box. Still, a place in the knockout stage is there for the taking for Hong Myung-bo's men, who should easily beat South Africa in their final group game.

Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku admitted back in November that Belgium "weren't good enough in a large number of matches" in qualifying, so their patchy performances at the World Cup so far have hardly been surprising. The Red Devils were dreadful in the first half against Egypt before battling back to earn a draw, and they weren't much better during their goalless stalemate with Iran on Sunday.

Romelu Lukaku's lack of match fitness means he cannot be relied upon to produce outside of short bursts while the lack of quality around Kevin De Bruyne is causing the ex-Manchester City man to try and do everything himself. Rudi Garcia's side should still make the knockouts as they prepare for a must-win match against New Zealand, but going much further once there feels unlikely at this point.

After a 12-year absence, Algeria returned to the World Cup in high spirits after beating the Netherlands in one of their pre-tournament friendlies, only to come back down to earth in their opening game against Argentina. However, Vladimir Petkovic's side were able to bounce back as they survived falling behind to Jordan to come back and secure a 2-1 win that keeps their knockout hopes alive.

Their final group game against Austria is winner takes all, though a draw could well be enough to carry both sides into the last 32. Given they are in the final group to reach its conclusion, the Desert Foxes will know exactly what they require by the time kick-off arrives in Kansas City on Saturday.

Carlos Queiroz only took over as Ghana manager in April, but the former Portugal and Iran boss has worked wonders with the Black Stars as they backed up their last-gasp win over Panama with a more than creditable 0-0 draw with England. Yet to concede a goal, Queiroz's side have proven extremely difficult to break down and have already all-but confirmed a place in the knockouts.

They could even top Group L if they can secure a victory over Croatia on matchday three, and given their resilience thus far, Ghana should fancy their chances of causing another shock.

Austria may have been beaten by Argentina on Monday, but there were plenty of positives for Ralf Rangnick to take out of the game in Dallas. His team played with great aggression and were pushing for an equaliser until right up to the dying seconds of injury time.

As a result, we're supremely confident that the Austrians will get the result they need in their final group game, against Algeria, to progress to the round of 32 as runners-up in Group J - even if there are ongoing concerns over their lack of a real cutting edge up front.

Croatia simply had to defeat Panama to get their World Cup campaign back on track after an opening-round loss to England. and they did that thanks to a second-half strike from substitute Ante Budimir. However, the nature of the 1-0 win in Toronto did absolutely nothing to dispel fears that this is a tournament too far from Luka Modric and his fellow veterans.

The legendary midfielder had a decent game on his 200th appearance in the international arena. but Croatia were poor overall and needed some big saves from Dominik Livakovic to get over the line against one of the weakest teams in the tournament. Consequently, a major improvement is required against Ghana if the third-placed finishers from Qatar 2022 are to avoid an embarrassing group-stage exit this time around.

Egypt have waited a long time for their first-ever World Cup win, so the joy that greeted their victory over New Zealand in Vancouver was understandable. Unsurprisingly, Mohamed Salah was at the heart of it, with the nation's footballing icon both scoring and assisting during his side's second-half comeback.

The Pharoahs will now be dreaming of a deep run, too. A win over Iran on matchday three will confirm them as Group G winners, while even a draw might be enough as they aim to plot a more straightforward route through the knockouts.

First, the bad news: Canada won't play another 2026 World Cup game on home soil after losing 2-1 to Switzerland in Vancouver. The Canucks only needed a draw to finish first in Group B, but they left it far too late to have a real go at a solid but unspectacular Swiss side.

Here's the good news, though. Although Canada must now travel to the U.S. for the round of 32, their opponents in Los Angeles will be South Africa, the surprise runners-up in Group A, and a team that Jesse Marsch's men should be confident of defeating - especially if Alphonso Davies is finally fit to feature at the finals.

Ivory Coast couldn't have been left with more contrasting emotions at the end of their first two World Cup games. The Elephants scored a massive 90th-minute winner in their tournament-opener against Ecuador, but were left heartbroken after Deniz Undav's injury-time strike for Germany in Houston.

It was a particularly tough one for the Ivorians to take, as they'd wasted several good opportunities to take all three points before leaving empty-handed. Still, victory over Curacao will see Emerse Fae's team progress to the round of 32 as group runners-up.

After an embarrassing opening-round draw with Qatar in which Switzerland were punished for their profligacy, the goals finally started to flow for Murat Yakin's men in the closing stages of their 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on matchday two thanks to substitutes Johan Manzambi and Ruben Vargas.

Unsurprisingly, both men were promoted to the starting line-up for Wednesday's showdown with Canada, and both were on target again as the Swiss defeated the co-hosts to secure top spot in Group B and, thus, set up a meeting with XXX in Vancouver that they really should win.

Colombia's pre-tournament objective was clear: win their opening two games to ensure that qualification was already in the bag before they faced the favourites to win Group K, Portugal. Nestor Lorenzo's men have realised that goal by following up their 3-1 win over Uzbekistan by beating DR Congo 1-0 thanks to a solitary strike from wing-back Daniel Munoz, who's rather surprisingly been their best attacking outlet at the tournament so far.

Consequently, Colombia are now in an even better position than anticipated, as they only need to avoid defeat against Portugal to progress as group winners. Of course, that will be easier said than done against Cristiano Ronaldo & Co., who found their feet in a 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan, but the pressure is very much off Luis Diaz & Co. and they've more than enough talent to exploit the opportunities to counter-attack that a desperate Seleccao are likely to afford them in Miami. 

Mexico's tournament really couldn't be going any better. After securing top spot in Group A by winning their first two games, against South Africa and South Korea, coach Javier Aguirre was able to rotate his team for El Tri's final fixture, against Czechia.

Despite the changes, Mexico still managed to maintain their 100 percent record - and keep a third consecutive clean sheet - on another rousing night at the Azteca, which saw Mateo Chavez score his first international goal, teenager Gilberto Mora impress in midfield and veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa make a historic appearance at a sixth World Cup finals.

Bottom line: Mexico have built up some serious momentum as we enter the knockout stage and have a real shot at reaching the quarter-finals, given they'll also play their last-16 game at the Azteca should they defeat XXX in the round of 32.

What a start for the United States! The co-hosts probably couldn't have asked for a better outcome from their opening game as they swatted Paraguay aside in Los Angeles, and they followed that up with a dominant, if slightly less emphatic, victory over Australia in Seattle.

Christian Pulisic's fitness will remain a concern until he is back in the fold, but Mauricio Pochettino now has the benefit of what is basically a mid-tournament friendly against already-eliminated Turkiye on Thursday after the U.S. secured top spot in Group D with a game to spare. Expect rotation, then, as some of the stars earn a well-deserved rest ahead of the knockouts.

Despite injuries to a couple of key players, Japan were much-fancied pre-tournament, and they showed why as they twice battled back to earn a point against the Netherlands before wiping the floor with Tunisia on matchday two to all-but confirm their place in the last 32.

A heavy win over Sweden will still likely be required if they are to top Group F, but you wouldn't put it past the Blue Samurai to get the result they need given their current momentum.

The Netherlands have belatedly arrived at the World Cup. After producing a patchy performance in their 2-2 draw with Japan that led to Ronald Koeman being criticised for his perceived negativity, the Dutch cut lose against Sweden in Houston. 

The coach's decision to bring Brian Brobbey into his starting line-up paid off spectacularly, with the Sunderland striker scoring twice inside the opening 17 minutes. Denzel Dumfries show precisely why Real Madrid signed him with a dynamic and decisive display down the right flank, while Cody Gakpo silenced his critics with two goals and an assists. All of a sudden, the Netherlands look like a team that should not only top their group by beating Ecuador in their final fixture, but also do some serious damage in the knockout stage. 

Norway were always likely to go as far as Erling Haaland could carry them at this tournament, and if their opening two games are anything to go by, then that could be pretty deep into the knockouts. Haaland has scored four times in his first two tournament matches, backing up his brace against Iraq with another double against Senegal to secure progression from Group I.

The Scandinavians will need to take their level up a notch if they are to beat France and go through as group winners, although the way the draw has worked out, playing the runner-up from Group E - likely Ivory Coast - wouldn't be the worst punishment if they were to finish runners-up to Les Bleus.

As midfielder Bilal El Khannouss admitted, Morocco very nearly paid the price for a lack of "humility" in their 4-2 win over Haiti on Wednesday. The Atlas Lions fell behind twice in the first half of a game that they were expected to win easily and, thus, give themselves a chance of pipping Brazil to top spot in Group C on goal difference. In the end, though, Morocco were just relieved to have got out of Atlanta with a win.

Finishing second means the history-making semi-finalists from four years ago must now face XXX in the round of 32, and that's going to be a tough hurdle to clear. However, Morocco's performance in their 1-1 draw with Brazil on matchday one suggests that the bigger the game, the better they play, and with Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari both in fine form, the north Africans will be looking forward to the game in Monterrey.

Due to the underwhelming nature of Brazil's opening-round draw with Morocco, the jury is still out on Carlo Ancelotti's side. However, the Selecao are unquestionably starting to build up a momentum, after back-to-back 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland.

Granted, the standard of the opposition was poor, but there were plenty of positives for Ancelotti to take out of both games. For starters, Vinicius Jr can't stop scoring, Matheus Cunha is looking like the potential answer to Brazil's problem position up front, while the fit-again Neymar made an encouraging cameo against the Scots.

XXX could make for tricky opposition in the round of 32, but after all of the doom and gloom surrounding Brazil at the start of the tournament, things are now looking up for the five-time champions.

After Portugal's disappointing draw with DR Congo to open up Group K, that question was again be asked: Would the Seleccao be better off without Cristiano Ronaldo? Well, against Uzbekistan they were certainly thrilled to have the 41-year-old leading the line as Ronaldo scored twice in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the tournament debutants.

Fiercer tests will come, starting with Colombia on Saturday, but with Ronaldo up and running, Portugal will believe they have momentum on which they can build upon heading into the knockouts.

For the fourth successive tournament, England followed up an opening victory with a disappointing draw as they were held by Ghana on Tuesday in a performance that suggested Thomas Tuchel's side may struggle to break down deep-lying defences this summer. The joy that came with their win over Croatia has soon dissipated as the Three Lions look to improve in the final third.

They should still top Group L by beating Panama on Saturday, but there will be few teams quaking in their boots at the prospect of facing England later in the tournament.

After a 7-1 rout of Curacao that didn't really tell us much about Germany's true strength, Julian Nagelsmann's men were given a serious test of their World Cup credentials by a Yann Diomande-inspired Ivory Coast on Saturday. They passed it - but only just.

The four-time champions found themselves a goal down at the break in Houston, but Nagelsmann's changes turned the game, with super-sub Deniz Undav netting twice, including an injury-time winner which saw Germany take complete control of Group E.

However, Nagelsmann will be concerned by his team's inability to keep clean sheets, as even tougher tests lie in wait in the knockout stage. It will also be fascinating to see whether he starts Undav against Ecuador, given the striker now has three goals in just 56 minutes of game time in North America.

After the disappointment, bordering on embarrassment of Spain's 0-0 draw with Cape Verde to open La Roja's tournament, they looked much more like themselves in dismantling Saudi Arabia as Lamine Yamal returned to the line up following his injury and got himself on the scoresheet. Mikel Oyarzabal also answered his critics to put the European champions on course for a knockouts berth.

Who they will play in the last 32 will depend on their final group game against Uruguay, as a win would likely mean avoiding Argentina in the first knockout round.

Kylian Mbappe clearly means business at the 2026 World Cup. The Real Madrid superstar scored his second consecutive brace in Monday's 3-0 win over Iraq to remain hot on the heels of Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, while Ousmane Dembele finally scored at a major international tournament - thanks in no small part to Michael Olise, who is already up to three assists in North America.

However, while France's forward line is formidable, Didier Deschamps' side weren't actually that impressive in Philadelphia, even before the two-hour storm delay. Still, Friday's mouth-watering group-decider with Norway should tell us everything we need to know about Les Bleus - and their chances of reaching a third consecutive final.

The really good news for Argentina is that Lionel Messi looks capable of firing his country to a second consecutive World Cup all on his own. The little bit of bad news is that he might have to!

Lionel Scaloni has obviously set up his side to make the absolute most out of still being in possession of the greatest player in football history, who turns 39 today. In that sense, it's unsurprising that Messi already has five goals after his double against Austria. 

The concern, though, is that nobody else has managed even one. There is still plenty of time, though, for someone like Lautaro Martinez or Julian Alvarez to catch fire, and if one of them does, the reigning champions are going to take some stopping, given how dogged they are in defence and midfield.