We are one-third of the way through the 2026 World Cup group stage, with 48 teams in the expanded field having played one match.There are still two more games for each team in each group, but after some shocks, some expected blowouts and a few good performances that didn't lead to good results, we've adjusted our pre-tournament ranking of every team in the field.The title favorites largely remain the same, though we have a new No. 1 after the previous top team showed some cracks. Other teams that seemed simply happy to be at the tournament took real steps toward advancing to the knockout stage.Watch every 2026 World Cup game with FuboAnything can happen in the knockout stage, especially with the majority of third-place teams getting passage to the Round of 32. First, though, teams are pushing to get to that point.The group phase still has plenty of surprises for us. Let's look at the full rankings with tiers ranging from "happy to be here" to our true title contenders:World Cup teams that are just happy to be here(Team movement in parentheses)48. Tunisia (-9)New rule: If you play so poorly in your first match that you fire your coach, you go to the bottom of the power rankings. Handsome Herve Renard is the only thing that can save Tunisia.47. Curacao (+1)Curacao suffered a heavy defeat, as expected against Germany, but the Blue Wave will always have that goal from Livano Comenencia and the 17 minutes after that it was 1-1.46. Jordan (+1)The good news for Jordan is that it had a decent showing against Austria in its World Cup debut, getting more from its attack than expected. The bad news is that things only get tougher from here.45. South Africa (-10)Extremely disappointing in the opener, South Africa offered almost nothing and loses a pair of midfielders to red-card suspensions going forward.44. Iraq (-1)Aymen Hussein got his goal, but Iraq otherwise struggled against Norway, falling 4-1.43. Panama (-2)Panama let a clean sheet and its first-ever World Cup point slip from its hands, conceding a later winner to Ghana on June 17. A healthy Coco Carrasquilla would be very welcome.42. Paraguay (-10)Gustavo Alfaro's team was supposed to be built on a muscular defense. Instead, it shipped four goals in the first match of the tournament.41. Qatar (+5)The majority of a 1-1 draw with Switzerland wasn't all that impressive from Qatar, but the end was special with the 2022 hosts securing a point thanks to an own goal in stoppage time.World Cup teams that could get out of group play40. Czechia (=)After letting South Korea back into the game, the test with South Africa is crucial to deciding who will still have a shot at moving on.39. Haiti (-2)Sebastian Migne's side looked like its normal, active self but couldn't find the back of the net against Scotland. Forward Duckens Nazon, currently nursing a hamstring issue, was missed.38. New Zealand (+6)Chris Wood caused all sorts of problems for Iran, and if the tall forward can do the same once more in the group, there's a chance to move on.37. Cape Verde (+8)World Cup fans got to enjoy a stunning scoreless draw with Spain and then start following goalkeeper Vozinha on Instagram. What a story.36. Saudi Arabia (=)Once again, Saudi Arabia has tripped up a team from the Rio de la Plata region in the first World Cup matches, drawing Uruguay four years after beating Argentina. Can they do enough to get through this time?35. Algeria (-2)Stopping Lionel Messi and Argentina was always going to be a tough ask. There were some nice moments for Les Fennecs, and advancing from the group is still on the table.34. Uzbekistan (+4)Uzbekistan lost to Colombia 3-1 but went down fighting and managed to find a debut World Cup goal in the process.33. Iran (+3)While Iran wasn't able to get all three points in a draw with New Zealand, they at times showed why they're among the top teams in Asia − even with everything they're dealing with off the field.32. Bosnia & Herzegovina (+2)The formula for success isn't exactly pretty for Bosnia, but ugly worked in a group-opening draw with Canada.31. DR Congo (=)A very good draw with Portugal for the Léopards, as Yoane Wissa responded to Portugal's early goal and the defense was characteristically stingy.30. Scotland (=)The current Group C leaders were able to beat Haiti in a cagey affair that saw each team put just two shots on goal. More will be needed to finish in the top two.29. Egypt (=)Mo Salah got help from forward Omar Marmoush and goal scorer Emam Ashour in an encouraging draw with Belgium.World Cup teams that could make some noise in knockout rounds28. Turkey (-5)Things couldn't have gone much worse for Turkey in its opener, which needs to create more effective chances rather than offering up hopeless, low-percentage shots.27. Ghana (-1)A dramatic late goal rescued three points against Panama, but Ghana struggled to do much with the ball and also gave the Central Americans some good chances to score.26. Canada (-5)One of the three hosts, Canada looked tense in its opener, settling for a draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It's a first-ever World Cup point, but the ambitions are much higher.25. Sweden (+3)That attack definitely delivered on its promise in the 5-1 thrashing of Tunisia. Now, it's about doing it against a team at a higher level.24. Australia (+3)The Socceroos executed Tony Popovic's game plan brilliantly in a 2-0 win over Turkey, getting forward quickly on the counter-attack and defending in a disciplined way.23. Uruguay (-3)Uruguay better hope it was its travel issues that had it looking as lethargic as it did in a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia to open the tournament. Otherwise, Marcelo Bielsa's side soon will be traveling home.22. Switzerland (-4)The gut-punch of a late goal from Qatar drops Switzerland in our rankings, as what looked like a clear path to a group win now is much more muddled.21. Austria (+3)Austria reminded the world how faithful it is to its style as it buzzed around in a 3-1 win over Jordan. It will be harder to do the same thing against Argentina.20. South Korea (+5)A huge question was whether or not anyone would step up to help Son Heung-min with chance creation and other attacking duties. After a MOTM showing from Hwang In-beom in a 2-1 win over Czechia, the answer is more clear.19. Croatia (-2)While Croatia played a good first half against England, the 4-2 loss will do nothing to allay fans' biggest fear: That this team is too old to compete with the best.World Cup dark horses18. Ecuador (-8)They were unlucky to lose against Ivory Coast, and an eight-place drop is pretty harsh. Yet, a finish from Enner Valencia − or anyone else − would've avoided putting La Tri in the tough situation they're now in.17. Ivory Coast (+5)Les Elefants hung around, hung around, hung around and got a breakthrough from breakout star Yan Diomande.16. Colombia (=)The final game of the first go-round, Colombia's 3-1 win over Uzbekistan was a lot of fun, but it showed us what we thought we'd see from Los Cafeteros: Some good individual talents and some glaring problem areas.15. Japan (=)Japan played a relatively balanced game in a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands, showing they can come out of their shell and fight to a result when necessary.14. Morocco (+5)Achraf Hakimi not only has a clean bill of health but contributed often in a 1-1 draw with Brazil, and Brahim Diaz connected with Ismael Saibari on the goal. All good signs for the North African nation.13. Belgium (-2)Rudi Garcia didn't set up his team quite right in a 1-1 draw with Egypt, and rather than a showcase of Jérémy Doku and other rising stars' talents, it turned into concern about whether or not the veteran players can hang.12. Senegal (-3)It seems harsh to drop Senegal too far after a loss to a team as powerful as France, especially since the Lions of Teranga hung tough with Les Bleus for more than an hour.11. Mexico (+1)El Tri could've won their opener by more, but a 2-0 win against South Africa sets the tone for a tournament in which Mexico hopes to continue delighting home fans.10. Portugal (-2)The fix for Portugal to get back into the contenders tier is relatively clear: Work out a way to reduce Cristiano Ronaldo's role, as he held the team back in a 1-1 draw with DR Congo. Until then, the team may keep slipping.9. Norway (+5)When does the dark horse simply become a horse? Erling Haaland was relentless in his World Cup debut, and the defense regrouped well after conceding in the 4-1 win over Iraq.8. United States (+5)Should Americans start dreaming of a quarterfinal finish? It's within their grasp, and the 4-1 romp over Paraguay showed why. Still, better opponents are coming.World Cup contenders7. Brazil (=)Brazil could've done better in its draw with Morocco to open the World Cup, but keeps its spot thanks to the rally to earn a point and the clear areas for quick improvement.6. Netherlands (-1)The depth may not be there for Ronald Koeman's team. We knew that about the attack, but seeing the defense also commit errors in a 2-2 draw with Japan was a major concern.5. Germany (+1)It's tough to get too excited about a win over Curacao, but Julian Nagelsmann's squad took care of business in match one. That's more than some of its rivals can say.4. Spain (-3)Spain stays in the contender tier because the group calculations didn't change with a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde. Lamine Yamal is still working back to fitness, too. That said, a point against a small debutant doesn't meet the standard our former No. 1 should be held to.3. England (+1)It was a great start to the tournament for England, with Harry Kane scoring twice and the squad putting together a superb second half in a 4-2 win over Croatia.2. Argentina (+1)Lionel Messi is fit and he is fantastic. The defending champs made a statement in a 3-0 win over Algeria, but even with the team keeping a clean sheet, there are defensive questions. Austria will provide a good test next.1. France (+1)It took more than an hour for the goal to come, but once France clicked into gear it put three past a good Senegal defense, with a 3-1 win enough to move into the top of our rankings.