France leads while Argentina misses Messi’s first place after Egypt’s fear: Where do the eight World Cup stand in the FIFA rankings?
2026 Football World Cup The number of teams was reduced from 48 to just eight, so the margin for error disappeared. The quarterfinals promise heavyweight showdowns, redemption stories and dream rounds. While some competitors made it through the knockout rounds strongly, others narrowly escaped.
France still looks like the team to beat in North America. Although coach Didier Deschamps’ team appeared weak against Paraguay’s stubborn low defense, with their fearsome attack weakened for long periods, Kylian MbappeA penalty kick scored in the second half proved enough to secure a 1-0 win. Meanwhile, defending champion Argentina qualified for the group stage but lived dangerously in the knockout stages, most notably recovering from a 2-0 deficit against Egypt in a dramatic exit from the round of 16.
Spain quietly gained momentum after an inconsistent start. Norway and Belgium emerged as genuine title contenders, while Morocco’s impressive performance once again underscored why they remain the most dangerous in world football. England have also repeatedly found a way when the pressure is at its highest.
With the quarter-finals just around the corner, here’s how the remaining eight teams rank in our latest news FIFA Global rankings.
Here are the latest FIFA team rankings
France, which rose to first place after its impressive start to the tournament, maintained its lead despite being subjected to intense pressure from Paraguay in the round of 16. Argentina, which arrived in North America as the number one team in the world, maintained second place. While their dramatic comeback against Egypt maintained their title defense, the performance in itself did not justify regaining the top spot.
Overall, six of the eight teams that reached the quarter-finals are ranked in the top 10 in the world. Spain ranks third, followed by England in fourth place. African Cup of Nations champion Morocco rose one place to sixth place after becoming the first African country to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup twice in a row, while Belgium ranks eighth.
The two exceptions are Switzerland and Norway. Switzerland, which qualified for the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954, rose five places to occupy fourteenth place. Norway, which is enjoying its best ever participation in a World Cup Finals, with its first appearance in the quarter-finals in the modern era, is the tournament’s biggest driver, jumping 12 places to occupy 19th place.
The quarter-final matches begin on July 9, with France facing Morocco in Boston at the start of the quarter-finals.
