FIFA World Cup 2026 Power Rankings: France Leads, Argentina Surges, USMNT Starts Strong

The World Cup is finally here and after the first round of matches, all 48 teams have gotten their first taste of action in the tournament. We've also already had our share of shocks, none bigger than Spain's draw against Cabo Verde and Portugal's stumble against DR Congo , involving two of the most highly anticipated sides in the competition. Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino's United States men's national team enjoyed a dream start, impressing in their debut with a 4-1 win against Paraguay and strengthening their position ahead of their second group-stage match against Australia .

Elsewhere it's been a tournament of stars. Lionel Messi continues to age like a fine wine with an opening game hat trick for Argentina against Algeria . Right behind him are some of the world's biggest goal scorers with Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe all netting twice for England , Norway and France , respectively. As we head into game two, the picture will start to become clearer about which 32 teams will advance from the 48-team field, and which 16 teams (the last place finisher in each group plus the four worst third-place finishers) will go home.

Let's now dive into the power rankings with our last rankings after the first round of games of the World Cup.

Biggest Movers 8 Cabo Verde 6 Belgium Rk Teams   Chg Rcrd 1 France After the first round of matches they looked like the best team in the tournament, especially considering they faced Senegal. Kylian Mbappe kicked things off with a brace that made things pretty clear. 1 2 Argentina Argentina opened their campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Algeria, but the biggest story was once again Lionel Messi. The captain delivered a hat-trick, drawing level with Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. 1 3 Spain The most disappointing top team of the first round of games after drawing 1-1 against Cabo Verde. Their ball possession seemed totally inconclusive and players such as Lamine Yamal or Ferran Torres were not able to deliver. 2 4 England A strong start against Croatia sent a message to their rivals. Thomas Tuchel's side is one to watch and Harry Kane has already started scoring goals like a machine. 2 5 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo failed to inspire his side in a disappointing draw against DR Congo. Portugal remain among the tournament's strongest squads, but they will need to improve quickly and focus on team performances rather than individual milestones. 1 6 Brazil Brazil faced one of the toughest opening fixtures against Morocco, but a draw was still a disappointing result for a Carlo Ancelotti side led by Vinícius Junior. With Haiti up next, they have little excuse not to bounce back. 1 7 Morocco What a team and what a performance against the five-time world champions. If you wondered why Bayern Munich are on the verge to sign Ismael Saibari for around $60 million, you've got the answer. 2 8 Norway It might seem surprsing Including them in the top ten of the rankings, but with a players like Erling Haaland at the World Cup, it's impossible not to do it. One game, two goals. -- 9 Netherlands They were probably surprised, like most of us, to see that performance from Japan but they have the talent and capabilities to bounce back in their second match at the World Cup against Sweden. 2 10 Germany Yes, they won 7-1 in the opening match against Curacao but we shouldn't judge them only by the result. Especially in the first half, they were not at the level expected but thanks to their talented players they were able to overturn it. -- 11 Colombia With a player like Luis Diaz, Colombia can trouble anyone. The winger starred in the win over Uzbekistan with a goal and an assist, immediately announcing himself on the World Cup stage. Messi, Mbappe, and Haaland may dominate the spotlight, but Diaz deserves to be part of that conversation. 2 12 United States I know ranking the United States 12th drew some criticism, but their 4-1 win over Paraguay only reinforced my view. This performance was exactly what I expected from Mauricio Pochettino's side, which is why they remain in the same spot in these rankings. -- 13 Uruguay There were some big expectations around Uruguay, especially because they are managed by a soccer icon such as Marcelo Bielsa but we need to be honest by saying that this team is not at the level of the ones of the years before. 2 14 Japan They didn't disappoint. I said before the tournament that Japan could be one of the dark horses, and their 2-2 draw against the Netherlands, one of the competition's strongest teams, exceeded even my expectations. 3 15 Sweden We were probably overly influenced by the fact they qualified to the World Cup without winning any game in the qualification group and made it thanks to the playoffs and their Nations League position. They are strong. 6 16 Senegal Yes, they lost, but to France. There is no shame in that. Senegal were competitive against one of the tournament favorites, and that result does little to change my opinion of them. -- 17 Mexico A strong opening game in front of their fans, probably the biggest obstacle with the pressure. We will know more about them after the second round. 3 18 Turkiye Huge disappointment. They have some incredibly talented players, but lost to Australia in the opening match. They need to react before it will be too late. 4 19 Switzerland They almost won the opening match before conceding the equalizer in the last minute against Qatar, one of the big surprises of the first round. -- 20 Croatia Maybe we overestimated their experience, but facing England, this team especially, was a big task. It was sad to see a legend like Luka Modric making a crucial mistake that led to the first goal. 2 21 Belgium Belgium's golden generation is nearing its end, and it showed in their opening match. While Romelu Lukaku made a difference off the bench and played a key role in Egypt's own goal, a draw is simply not the statement Belgium needed to make. 6 22 Ivory Coast What a performance. Their win against Ecuador was by far the most exciting match of the first round. 7 23 Ecuador Unlucky to lose in the last second against Ivory Coast, but we can only say good things about their performance at the debut. It will be now important to score some goals agains Curacao before the last game against Germany. 1 24 Iran With the pressure and what's going on in their country, not many could believe they could even make it to the World Cup. It was a bit disappointing to only secure a draw against New Zeland, to be fair. 1 25 Egypt This team is not just about Mo Salah, who will play is last World Cup. They earned their first-ever point at the World Cup thanks to a solid team performance and a great goal scored by Emam Ashour, one to watch. -- 26 Scotland John McGinn's winning goal against Haiti was one of the big moments of the first round. 1 27 Austria Austria got the result they needed against Jordan, but the performance left plenty to be desired. A 3-1 win looks convincing on paper, yet one goal came from an own goal and another from a stoppage-time penalty converted by Marko Arnautovic. 1 28 Korea Republic One of those teams that won their debut game but didn't convince at all against Czechia. Next up: Mexico. -- 29 Canada Too many missed chances. Too many mistakes in front of the goal. Not enough to win, barely enough to hope for a spot in the knockouts. 5 30 Czechia Czechia proved they belong on this stage, and despite the defeat to South Korea, they can leave the opening match with their heads held high. -- 31 Ghana Caleb Yirenkyi: Remember his name. MVP of the opening match against Panama and the winning goal scored in the last minute. Not a coincidence that multiple top clubs are already trying to sign him. 1 32 Bosnia-Herzegovina If there were any doubts about them before the tournament, there aren't many left now. Holding one of the World Cup hosts, Canada, to a draw is a significant result and another sign that this team is capable of competing at this level. 1 33 Qatar Their point against the Swiss was one of the biggest stories of this first round of the World Cup. The job done by Julen Lopetegui has been phenomenal. 1 34 Australia A surprising start for the team coached by Popovic, who was able to beat 2-0 Turkiye, one of the most talented rosters among the underdogs. 4 35 Saudi Arabia A solid draw against Uruguay. A team that always delivers at the World Cup and did it again at their opener. 1 36 Paraguay There were more ambitions before the start of the World Cup, but the 4-1 loss to the United States changed our view about them. 1 37 Tunisia Imagine sacking the manager during the World Cup. Yes it really happened and after sacking Sabri Lamouchi after the defeat against Sweden they replaced him with Herve Renard. Shocking move. 6 38 Cabo Verde The story of the World Cup so far. Drawing against Spain in their debut, something that nobody could imagine. So many incredible stories, like Vozinha, the 40-year old goalkeeper that made history. 8 39 DR Congo Another incredible story of this World Cup. The last time they played the World Cup was in 1974 when they were named Zaire. A draw against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal at their debut made everything more special. 5 40 New Zealand A draw at their debut game against Iran, a game that carried so much pressure for what's happening around the world. 7 41 Haiti Despite losing to Scotland they made a very good impression and made things difficult for a team that has some world class players in their roster. Unexpected. 1 42 Iraq Losing to Norway is something that we could see coming, the question now is whether they will be able to bounce back against France and Senegal. Seems unlikely. 1 43 Algeria Yes, they were disappointing but let's be honest, who could do better against this version of Lionel Messi? 6 44 Jordan They did actually ok against Austria. They lost 3-1, but the result was a bit harsh. 5 45 Panama They only lost at the last minute of the opening match but have few chances to do better in games against Croatia and England. 2 46 South Africa We all had in our minds the great memories of 2010. They didn't replicate it against Mexico. On top of that, midfielder Themba Zwane has been suspended for three matches for his red card in the opening game, pending appeal. 6 47 Uzbekistan Facing Colombia was a big challenge. They made a respecable showing but still lsot 3-1. It will probably be a short World Cup for them. 2 48 Curacao They weren't as bad as the 7-1 defeat against Germnay would suggest. Seeing their coach Dick Advocaat getting emotional after scoring their first ever goal at the World Cup was one of the sweetest moments of the first week of action. --

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-power-rankings-argentina-lionel-messi-france-usmnt/)._