2026 World Cup Power Rankings After the Final
A pool of 48 teams has been whittled down to just one champion, with Spain taking the 2026 World Cup title with a 1-0 win over Argentina.
Despite the game needing to be settled in extra time and La Furia Roja winning by a fine margin, the Europeans dominated La Albiceleste, who could barely get an effort on Unai Simón's goal.
With that, it's probably clear who lands at the top of the final power ranking for the tournament, but there's still plenty to unpack from the last two games.
Ahead, we've laid out the full order, added the most notable post-tournament updates from a handful of teams, and offered some words on the co-hosts and the biggest risers and fallers.
48-31
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48. Iraq
Pre-tournament ranking: 47
47. Tunisia
Pre-tournament ranking: 32
46. Uzbekistan
Pre-tournament ranking: 35
45. Haiti
Pre-tournament ranking: 48
44. Jordan
Pre-tournament ranking: 44
43. Panama
Pre-tournament ranking: 29
42. Qatar
Pre-tournament ranking: 45
41. Curaçao
Pre-tournament ranking: 46
40. New Zealand
Pre-tournament ranking: 40
39. Czechia
Pre-tournament ranking: 26
38. Uruguay
Pre-tournament ranking: 20
A disappointing, chaotic tournament for Uruguay ended with the departure of head coach Marcelo Bielsa—and a drop of 18 places in the Power Rankings, the joint most on the list.
International legend Diego Forlán is set to pick up the reins. Despite being inexperienced in managerial terms, the former Atletico Madrid player should be a more calming presence than the volatile Bielsa, which is exactly what this squad needs.
37. Saudi Arabia
Pre-tournament ranking: 42
36. Iran
Pre-tournament ranking: 30
35. Scotland
Pre-tournament ranking: 28
Scotland's World Cup adventure was disappointingly short-lived, with a group stage featuring Brazil and Morocco proving impossible to overcome.
Head coach Steve Clarke fell on his sword after the Tartan Army couldn't even get through as one of the best third-placed teams.
34. Korea Republic
Pre-tournament ranking: 21
33. Turkiye
Pre-tournament ranking: 18
32. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Pre-tournament ranking: 33
31. Algeria
Pre-tournament ranking: 34
30-21
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30. South Africa
(Pre-tournament ranking: 43)
29. DR Congo
(Pre-tournament ranking: 41)
DR Congo's first-ever appearance at a World Cup resulted in a historic knockout-round berth, and the Leopards even made England panic in the round of 32.
While the Three Lions won the battle of the big cats, head coach Sébastien Desabre and his team have received huge acclaim for a remarkable tournament.
28. Ghana
(Pre-tournament ranking: 38)
27. Sweden
(Pre-tournament ranking: 36)
26. Cabo Verde
(Pre-tournament ranking: 39)
Cabo Verde held finalists Spain and Argentina to draws in 90 minutes, with the latter only toppling the Blue Sharks in extra time.
During the tournament, goalkeeper Vozinha made himself an instant celebrity, and the nation became the smallest ever to appear in a World Cup knockout game, doing so on its first appearance on the global stage.
25. Austria
(Pre-tournament ranking: 22)
24. Australia
(Pre-tournament ranking: 37)
23. Ecuador
(Pre-tournament ranking: 23)
22. Germany
(Pre-tournament ranking: 4)
Perhaps the most disappointing nation at the 2026 World Cup—and the joint-highest-falling in the Power Ranking—was Germany, which shockingly exited in the first knockout round to a gladiatorial Paraguay team.
Head coach Julian Nagelsmann swiftly handed in his resignation following that defeat, and soon after, former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp reached an agreement in principle to take over—and journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed it's a done deal. Watching heavy-metal football at the international level should be fun.
21. Côte d'Ivoire
(Pre-tournament ranking: 19)
20-11
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20. Senegal
(Pre-tournament ranking: 14)
19. Japan
(Pre-tournament ranking: 16)
18. Croatia
(Pre-tournament ranking: 10)
Croatia's World Cup knockout-round exit to Portugal has heralded the end of Luka Modrić's international career.
The Real Madrid legend carried the Vatreni to a World Cup runners-up finish in 2018 and took his team to third in the 2022 tournament. His excellence and influence will be sorely missed.
Further change is coming, with Slaven Bilić returning to the dugout after Zlatko Dalic's resignation following nine years at the helm.
17. Netherlands
(Pre-tournament ranking: 8)
The Netherlands' round-of-32 exit might have come after a penalty-shootout defeat to Morocco, but head coach Ronald Koeman still paid for it with his job.
With that, former Liverpool boss Arne Slot is in line for a quick return to management. The 47-year-old is the prime candidate to take over in the Oranje hotseat, according to De Telegraaf.
16. USA
(Pre-tournament ranking: 24)
A trip to the round of 16 was probably about as much as most USA fans expected, but the limp manner of the 4-1 defeat to Belgium will still be hugely disappointing, especially because of the drama that surrounded it.
It's not yet clear if Mauricio Pochettino will stick around, but for an ambitious coach, there are surely plenty of opportunities elsewhere that he'll be keen to explore.
15. Paraguay
(Pre-tournament ranking: 31)
The highest climber in the Power Ranking since the eve of the tournament is Paraguay, with a 16-place boost.
No one would say La Albirroja's methods were pretty, but they were certainly effective. After an opening-game loss to the USA, the nation picked up a surprising win against Turkey and sealed qualification as a top third-place team with a 0-0 draw against Australia.
In the knockouts, Paraguay rough-and-tumbled its way to a penalty-shootout win against Germany and nearly battled past France in the round of 16. That stage proved to be the limit, but what an effort from Gustavo Alfaro's side.
14. Canada
(Pre-tournament ranking: 25)
Of the tournament hosts, Canada proved to be the most surprising.
Head coach Jesse Marsch had his team playing some sumptuous football, built on quick transitions from defense to attack and tidy passing sequences.
Everything came to a grinding halt against Morocco in the round of 16, but even so, it marked the nation's best-ever finish at a World Cup.
13. Egypt
(Pre-tournament ranking: 27)
12. Brazil
(Pre-tournament ranking: 11)
11. Colombia
(Pre-tournament ranking: 13)
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10. Mexico
(Pre-tournament ranking: 9)
Mexico might have reached the same stage as its tournament co-hosts, but it was by far the most entertaining of the trio to watch.
It sailed through the group stage with three wins from three, then made short work of Ecuador in the round of 32.
A tough matchup with England proved a step too far, though, despite running the Three Lions close in one of the best matches of the tournament.
9. Portugal
(Pre-tournament ranking: 6)
Portugal is set for a period of upheaval. Cristiano Ronaldo, national team legend and one of the greatest to have laced up a pair of boots, has played his last World Cup. Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and João Cancelo might also have taken to the global stage for the final time.
Meanwhile, head coach Roberto Martinez has departed his role, with Jorge Jesus quickly announced as the Spaniard's successor.
With Portugal set to co-host the next edition of the tournament, it will be interesting to see the state of the team in four years' time.
8. Morocco
(Pre-tournament ranking: 7)
It's perhaps too early to herald the end of Morocco's golden age of international football.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou likely won't be at the next World Cup, which the nation will co-host, nor will players like Sofyan Amrabat, Noussair Mazraoui, and Issa Diop.
But Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz and Ismael Saibari should still be around, and a new crop of talent coming through, headlined by Ayyoub Bouaddi and Bilal El Khannouss, shows that there's still plenty to come from the Atlas Lions.
7. Belgium
(Pre-tournament ranking: 12)
6. Switzerland
(Pre-tournament ranking: 17)
5. Norway
(Pre-tournament ranking: 15)
4. France
(Pre-tournament ranking: 1)
France's World Cup implosion bordered on the spectacular.
After living up to the label of tournament favorites through the group stages and opening knockout rounds, Les Bleus simply stopped playing football when up against Spain in the semifinal.
While the competitiveness of a third-place playoff game can certainly be disputed, and both teams played with absolutely nothing to lose across the 90 minutes, a 6-4 defeat to England and an eventual fourth-place finish is not exactly the way to go out of a World Cup tournament with pride intact.
Kylian Mbappé was able to seal the Golden Boot, of course, so it wasn't a total loss from a French perspective. However, a place in the final should have been the minimum expected of Didier Deschamps' collection of quality talents.
3. England
(Pre-tournament ranking: 5)
England were practically in touching distance of a first World Cup final in 60 years. However, Argentina's Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez had other ideas.
Consigned to the third-place playoff, a much-changed England XI took things back to the playground in an entertaining 6-4 win to seal a podium finish, but there's little joy to be taken when the international trophy drought lingers on.
The future of Thomas Tuchel remains in doubt, with the German ruffling a few feathers after comments made following the quarterfinal and semifinal. However, on balance, a third-place finish at the World Cup is still England's best since 1966, and he will likely be offered a little grace to lead the Three Lions into Euro 2028 at least, which will partly be hosted on home soil.
While Harry Kane likely won't be taking part in the 2030 World Cup, 23-year-old Jude Bellingham should be in his prime in four years' time, likely picking up the captain's armband, too. England fans are used to initial promise turning into disappointment in a hurry, but the mood could be much different in Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
2. Argentina
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(Pre-tournament ranking: 3)
So that's that. Lionel Messi has likely taken to a World Cup for the final time in his illustrious career.
The 39-year-old didn't get to go out with a bang, but he proved throughout the tournament that he still possesses plenty of magic in those feet, almost dragging Argentina through games that they were on the brink of losing.
His efforts didn't count for much in the final, though, finding himself on the periphery of the action until the closing minutes when the kitchen sink was thrown at Unai Simon's goal.
A red card for Enzo Fernandez as the opening 90 minutes drew to a close didn't help matters, but truth be told, La Albiceleste were second best to Spain throughout the final and didn't deserve to lift the trophy.
While he might not step away from international football immediately, Argentina should be fully in succession-planning mode for when the Inter Miami star decides to call it a day. On the basis of that performance against Spain, some serious structural work is needed to make the South Americans competitive again beyond taking the match to the turf and relying on the GOAT to bail them out.
1. Spain
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(Pre-tournament ranking: 2)
The Spain men's national team has become a World Cup champion for the second time in its history.
Few teams have looked so poised, so in control during a global football tournament, with head coach Luis de la Fuente fostering a sense of familiarity among his charges that made it seem as though they had been playing together for decades.
La Furia Roja might not have blown teams away on a regular basis, but they certainly outplayed every single opponent that crossed their path. Possession, smart passing, patience, and precision were all hallmarks of Spain's approach on the way to ultimate glory.
It's often said that titles are built on strong defense, and they don't come much stronger than the quintet of goalkeeper Unai Simón, right-back Pedro Porro, center backs Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsí, and left-back Marc Cucurella. Together, they conceded just one goal across eight games, giving the midfield and forward lines security as they gradually picked their way through opposing back lines.
But a spark plug certainly helps, and Lamine Yamal grew into his first World Cup tournament, offering direct running, close dribbling, and elastic footwork to terrorize anyone who came within his orbit. Add to that the composure and leadership of captain Rodri, and you have a squad with a perfect balance of professionalism and clinicality.
In all, it was a much-deserved win for the European side. With a young squad that could mostly stick around for a few more years yet, La Furia Roja will go into the next couple of international tournaments as a team to be feared.
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