World Cup Power Rankings After Latest Round of Qualifiers
Welcome to the latest edition of the World Cup power rankings, a dedicated look at which nation appears the most likely to lift the trophy in Russia in 2018 at this moment in time.
Not every region of the world participated in qualifying in June, making the CAF (African) and CONMEBOL (South American) zones difficult to judge. But Europe, Asia and Central/North America produced some stunning moments to salivate over, while some glamour friendlies caught the eye, too.
We haven't restricted the teams included in these rankings by using FIFA's qualifying allocation rules, so you will see more from one continent than can qualify and fewer from others.
Why? Because there's an awful lot of football to be played, and a team such as sixth-placed CONMEBOL side Ecuador probably still have a better chance of winning the World Cup than Slovakia, who sit in a play-off position in the UEFA standings.
Confederations Cup performances have not been used to judge teams with the strict exception of Russia, who as hosts are playing their first competitive games for a while. Only in extreme cases is form in friendlies used to demote sides in these rankings; it really is, largely, all about how they're performing in official qualifiers.
Honourable Mentions
1 of 16
South Korea
Losing to Qatar did not weaken South Korea's grip on second place in AFC Group A, as their direct rivals for the spot, Uzbekistan, lost to Iran by more. South Korea now have a superior points tally and goal difference.
Australia
Before beginning preparations for the Confederations Cup, Australia beat Saudi Arabia 3-2 in a nail-biter in Melbourne. It boosts their automatic qualification hopes considerably...but they're still outside the top two.
Saudi Arabia
Have sat consistently in strong positions throughout AFC qualifying, but the recent loss to Australia has sparked fears they may miss out next summer.
Netherlands
As awful as their campaign has been so far, a thumping 5-0 win over Luxembourg has lifted the Dutch back into contention. They're three points off France and Sweden.
Slovakia
England sit top of the group, but this decent Slovakia side lie in wait to take advantage of any slips.
31-32
2 of 16
32. Ivory Coast (-3)
A disastrous international break for Ivory Coast saw them ship eight goals in two games, three of which were in an African Nations Cup qualifier to Guinea. Fortunately for them, it doesn't change where they are in respect of their march to Russia, but such heavy defeats knock confidence...and it's enough to move them down to 32nd in our rankings.
31. Iran (Stay)
Iran are the first AFC team to officially qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Their record of six wins and two draws has generated 20 points, and they're miles ahead of South Korea in second.
26-30
3 of 16
30. Morocco (-2)
Like the Ivory Coast, things went poorly for Morocco, too—though on a lesser scale. Two losses, one in a friendly and one in an African Cup of Nations qualifier, leaves manager Herve Renard plenty to think over.
29. Iceland (+1)
Iceland's dramatic, last-gasp victory over Croatia saw them pull level with the Vatreni in Group I. They're still behind on goal difference, but their position now looks so much stronger than it did three months ago.
28. Republic of Ireland (-1)
Martin O'Neill's men stand as they were in their group but move down in these rankings. Their 1-1 draw with Austria is an excellent result in isolation but leaves them second to Serbia on goal difference in the group still.
27. USA (Stay)
Things are definitely getting better for the US under Bruce Arena. A draw at the Azteca is a fine result, and the win over Trinidad & Tobago keeps them well-placed in third.
26. Serbia (Stay)
Serbia's draw with Wales, thanks to a second-half Aleksandar Mitrovic goal, keeps them ahead of the Republic of Ireland, Austria and Wales in their group—an achievement not to be sniffed at.
21-25
4 of 16
25. Japan (+1)
Japan's draw with Iraq keeps them top of Group B in the AFC qualifying zone, but the gap at the summit has been closed to one. With two remaining fixtures—against Saudi Arabia (in second) and Australia (in third)—this has the potential to swing violently.
24. Egypt (-2)
Egypt were a little short on goals over their international break; they only beat Libya 1-0 and then lost to Tunisia by the same scoreline.
23. Costa Rica (Stay)
The Ticos mirrored the USA's haul of four points from their latest two qualifiers, keeping them three ahead. They'll feel they're about 60 percent of the way toward Russia and with it a chance to build on their brilliant performance in 2014.
22. Greece (+2)
Greece's fixture this last international break was one of the most important of the lot: Bosnia & Herzegovina away. The 0-0 draw earned (classic Greece) keeps them ahead of Edin Dzeko and Co. by a point.
21. Senegal (-1)
Senegal have been in friendly and African Cup of Nations action, not World Cup qualifying action. They drew against Uganda and beat Equatorial Guinea.
16-20
5 of 16
20. Nigeria (-2)
There were no World Cup qualifiers for Nigeria to tackle in June; they won't be back in this kind of action until August against Cameroon.
19. Russia (+1)
Things are starting to pick up for Russia at the right time. Unbeaten in four and with an opening win in the Confederations Cup under their belts (the only thing we can really measure them on as hosts), the mood is shifting.
18. Sweden (New!)
Welcome to the party, Sweden. They've been chugging along steadily during this qualifying section, and now they've made their statement: A 2-1 victory over France, however crazy the circumstances, puts them top of the group. If they win all four of their remaining games, they could well force les Bleus into the play-offs.
17. Ecuador (Stay)
CONMEBOL teams were not in competitive action. Ecuador played two friendlies, drawing with Venezuela and beating El Salvador.
16. Mexico (Stay)
El Tri are the only unbeaten team in CONCACAF's final qualification stage. Four points in June all but assured passage to the World Cup, and the draw gained against arch-rivals USA maintained their unbeaten all-time Azteca record against them.
11-15
6 of 16
15. Switzerland (Stay)
No UEFA team has more points (18) than the Swiss, who've won all six of their games and lead a group containing Portugal. It's just a little difficult to have faith that they can transfer qualifying form to the tournament proper, and passage to the finals is by no means secure yet.
14. Croatia (-1)
Of all the UEFA qualifying groups, Croatia's has the potential for sparks. Their loss to Iceland, courtesy of a 90th-minute goal, opens things right up and weakens the Vateni's position here.
13. Poland (+1)
The dominant force in Group E is Poland. With 16 points in the bag and a six-point lead over second, they're in a great spot. Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick to put Romania away in their most recent outing.
12. England (Stay)
Harry Kane's 93rd-minute equaliser at Hampden Park ensured England remain unbeaten in this qualifying campaign and top of Group F. As disappointing as the result was, it's worth remembering the two goals Scotland scored were the first two the Three Lions have conceded so far—and they were both from glorious free-kicks.
11. Uruguay (-2)
Uruguay weren't in competitive action in June, but their form is seriously worrying—so much so, they've dropped from the top 10. When they gear up to face Argentina in August, they'll do so on the back of five straight losses.
10. Belgium
7 of 16
Last Round: 10th
Movement: None
Belgium's run-of-the-mill victory over Estonia was relatively unremarkable. Entirely expected? Check. Continues their jaunt to Russia? Check.
Perhaps more interestingly, a quick look at the starting XI reveals just how Premier League-heavy the Red Devils have become. Eight of the 11 starters ply their trade there, with only Axel Witsel, Dries Mertens and Yannick Carrasco elsewhere.
9. Argentina
8 of 16
Last Round: 11th
Movement: +2
We're kind of breaking the rules a little here, but with good reason, we assure you. Argentina swap directly with Uruguay (11th) and vault themselves into the top 10 despite not participating in competitive action.
Why? Well, Uruguay's wretched form played a part, but the big change has been that la Albiceleste have hired Jorge Sampaoli as manager, and the results have been instantaneous.
A win over Brazil in Australia was followed by the 6-0 decking of Singapore, as Sampaoli begins to weave his high-press, aggressive magic with the nation of his birth. Argentina are about to get very good once again.
8. Colombia
9 of 16
Last Round: 8th
Movement: None
Colombia sit in second in the CONMEBOL qualifying section, and three of their remaining four fixtures look pretty kind. The one that doesn't look good is Brazil, but given they've already qualified, it's possible they can be turned over in Barranquilla come September, too.
This international period has consisted of two friendlies, and a trip to Europe yielded an impressive draw with Spain in Murcia and a 4-0 thumping of Cameroon in Getafe. With both James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao finding the back of the net, los Cafeteros will be confident their star men are in great shape heading into a crucial stage of the year.
7. Chile
10 of 16
Last Round: 7th
Movement: None
Chile sit still in seventh as they haven't played a World Cup qualifier during this international period.
Some iffy results in friendlies will only be of mild concern to Juan Antonio Pizzi; the loss to Romania was warped by Gary Medel's early, classical red card, while Alexis Sanchez didn't start the draw with Russia.
They've started the Confederations Cup strongly, though, pummelling Cameroon in the opener, and are on the hunt for their third trophy in three years.
6. Portugal
11 of 16
Last Round: 6th
Movement: None
Portugal swatted Latvia aside, winning 3-0 thanks to a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and one from Milan new boy Andre Silva.
While that is undoubtedly fine news as far as the Seleccao are concerned, they must be worried by the fact that group-mates Switzerland simply keep winning and are still top of their pile.
Portugal have netted 22 goals in their last five qualifiers, conceding just once during that period, but must lie in wait of either a Swiss slip or a victory over them in October.
5. Italy
12 of 16
Last Round: 5th
Movement: None
For Italy, the task remains the same: Win every game and they'll qualify top of Group G; fail to and they'll have to endure a play-off in order to obtain a spot in Russia next year.
The Azzurri beat Liechtenstein 5-0 thanks to five different goalscorers but stay behind Spain in the table after they won, too. Both are locked on 16 points, but La Furia Roja have the superior goal difference by four.
September 2 is when the two sides meet at the Bernabeu, and you wonder whether that fixture might just have a little more spice considering Italy and Spain's spines are made of partially of Juventus and Real Madrid players.
4. France
13 of 16
Last Round: 3rd
Movement: -1
There's no doubt France are one of the strongest national sides in the world right now, but the events of June 9 cannot be ignored. Their gutting, late loss to Sweden necessitates them moving down from third spot.
Hugo Lloris' distribution error allowed Ola Toivonen of former Sunderland loan fame to net in the 93rd minute and seal victory over Les Bleus. They're now second in their group, having accrued a worse goal difference than Sweden.
They bounced back with a 3-2 friendly win over England but made tough work of that one, too.
3. Spain
14 of 16
Last Round: 4th
Movement: +1
Spain were unconvincing in victory over Macedonia, collecting three points thanks to David Silva and Diego Costa's strikes. Their minnow opponents pressured them throughout the second half and even netted once themselves to make things interesting.
But three points are three points, and in Group G, that's the only important thing. La Furia Roja are still top on goal difference despite Italy's snapping at their heels and likely only need to avoid defeat against them later this year to seal the group.
2. Germany
15 of 16
Last Round: 2nd
Movement: None
Germany have been busy of late; as well as preparing for and playing in the Confederations Cup in Russia, they've also been engaged with sealing a place at the World Cup there a year on from now.
Joachim Low's men smashed San Marino 7-0 (as many often do), tightening their grip atop Group C and raising their goal difference to a glorious plus-26. Sandro Wagner netted a hat-trick on only his second appearance for the nation.
1. Brazil
16 of 16
Last Round: 1st
Movement: None
More than 95,000 people packed themselves into Australia's MCG to watch Brazil lose 1-0 to Argentina in a glamour friendly last week.
A different-looking defence, Weverton in goal and a lack of Neymar illustrated how under-powered the Selecao were, and the result won't trouble Tite, though, given the experimental nature of his side.
They recovered with a 4-0 thumping of Australia days later, with Diego Souza netting after just 11 seconds—a record. That was much more like the Brazil many fancy as the favourites to lift the trophy in Russia next year.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
