The conclusion of the group stages brought some late drama, with Austria equalising in the last seconds to avoid elimination, and Lionel Messi becoming the first player in history to score in seven successive World Cup matches.England and Colombia topped their groups as the knock-out bracket is now set, with the round of 32 getting underway on Sunday.Let’s once again reassess our rankings heading into the knockout stage, after 16 teams have been eliminated from the tournament.1. FranceFIFA ranking: 3➡️ (arrow depicts movement from our previous ranking)France outclassed Norway’s B-team to join Mexico as one of just two sides to have won all their group games. Ballon d’Or winner Dembele took advantage, scoring a hat-trick in the absence of manager Didier Deschamps, who missed the game because of the death of his mother but is expected to return for the knockouts.With Michael Olise playing in the No 10 role, on three assists and counting, along with Dembele, Kylian Mbappe and Desire Doue, their attack has looked unstoppable.They remain top of our rankings — and The Athletic’s live projection tool forecasts a 21 per cent chance of them winning the World Cup, but first to get past Sweden in the round of 32.Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app2. ArgentinaFIFA ranking: 1➡️Three convincing wins in three Group J matches saw the holders comfortably through to the knockout stages.Entering the last 32, Lionel Messi is the tournament’s top scorer with six goals and with similar personnel, this team has looked like the title winners of four years ago.They won’t complain about their place in the bracket, taking on Cape Verde in the round of 32, followed by Australia or Egypt in the round of 16.3. SpainFIFA ranking: 2➡️After starting their tournament with a draw against Cape Verde, Spain collected back-to-back wins once Lamine Yamal returned to the starting XI against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay to top the group.Their 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia was their most convincing, and against Uruguay they showed how they might frustrate sides in the knockouts, being so comfortable in possession after taking a lead.They will play Austria in the next round.4. BrazilFIFA ranking: 6➡️After their opening draw with Morocco, Brazil have gone from strength to strength, with two 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland.They have been comfortable letting the opposition have the ball and pouncing at the right moments, and have played with more of an edge since Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha came in up front against Haiti.Vinicius Jr is their star of the tournament, with four goals already, while Neymar made a substitute appearance against Scotland.Carlo Ancelotti’s side topped Group C — but their round-of-32 opponents, Japan, won’t be pushovers.5. NetherlandsFIFA ranking: 8➡️Ten goals in three games, with convincing wins over Sweden and Tunisia and a draw against Japan — the Netherlands made their group stage look pretty comfortable, with Brian Brobbey scoring three and Cody Gakpo and Crysencio Summerville adding two each.But they now face a challenging round-of-32 opponent — Morocco on Monday in Monterrey. We will soon find out whether they, and Ronald Koeman’s coaching, stack up.Brian Brobbey scores the Netherlands’ second goal against Sweden (Molly Darlington/Getty Images)6. EnglandFIFA ranking: 4➡️England got back to winning ways, beating Panama 2-0 to end Group L top and unbeaten.Their squad selection was moulded around key players Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who both scored in the final group game and enter the knockouts in good form.Reece James’ hamstring injury is the bad news, a hole in the starting lineup Thomas Tuchel will have to plug ahead of a round of 32 match against DR Congo.7. GermanyFIFA ranking: 10➡️Germany lost against Ecuador, but in fairness, they had already secured their spot as Group E winners, while Ecuador needed a win to progress. The worry is that they started with a near-enough strongest XI, before rotating with substitutes and buckling under the intensity.They take a drop in our rankings as the contenders above them are yet to lose a game, but Julian Nagelsmann’s team still made light work of Curacao and beat a capable Ivory Coast.Paraguay are their confirmed opponent in the round of 32, a match they should expect to win.8. MoroccoFIFA ranking: 7➡️So far, so good for Mohamed Ouahbi, who was hired as Morocco’s manager in March, having led the nation to victory at the Under-20 World Cup in 2025.In Group C, they went toe-to-toe with Brazil before beating Scotland and Haiti rather convincingly. Using Ismael Saibari to lead the line has proved an inspired choice — he has scored one goal in every group game.Their round-of-32 draw hasn’t been kind, though. They will be in Monterrey, facing another top 10 team in our rankings, the Netherlands.9. MexicoFIFA ranking: 13➡️One of only three teams to collect three wins from three in the group stage (the others being reigning champions Argentina and the beaten finalists France). Mexico scored six goals and kept three clean sheets, beating the Czech Republic 3-0 with a rotated side on Wednesday.Several Mexico players caught the eye, including 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora and forward Julian Quinones, who has scored two goals.Winning Group A means they will stay in Mexico City for the round of 32 (and, if they make it through, the round of 16), facing a well-organised Ecuador team.10. ColombiaFIFA ranking: 14⬆️ 2A team of attacking talent and with willing runners aplenty, wins over Uzbekistan and DR Congo, though not entirely convincing, were enough to confirm progression for Colombia with a match to spare.A draw in their final game saw them top Group K over Portugal, a sign of their quality. What looked to be Davison Sanchez’s big toe creeping into an offside position denied them a late win, too.Topping the group means Ghana are their opponents in the round of 32 rather than Croatia.11. NorwayFIFA ranking: 31⬇️ 1Norway qualified with a game to spare after having no trouble scoring against Senegal and Iraq. Their fearsome Manchester City striker Haaland scored four goals in his first two World Cup games before being rested against France.They were perhaps caught off guard that France fielded the majority of their stars in that meeting. Norway’s reserves didn’t stand much of a chance, losing 4-1. It highlights a concern for the team’s lack of strength in depth, though their starters were able to rest.In an intriguing round-of-32 match, Norway will next face the Ivory Coast.12. United StatesFIFA ranking: 17⬇️ 1The U.S. have been responsible for bringing great excitement to the tournament as one of the three co-hosts. Their positive and adventurous football has not been short of goals. But after rotating against Turkey, they lost some momentum, suffering a late 3-2 loss.Still, with an elite coach, Mauricio Pochettino, in the dugout, their fans are full of confidence entering the knockouts, asking, ‘Why not U.S.?’Facing Bosnia and Herzegovina in the next round, they will fancy their chances of reaching the last 16.13. PortugalFIFA ranking: 5➡️Curiously, the biggest question mark around this Portugal involves their greatest ever player. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace against Uzbekistan, yes, but was ineffective against DR Congo and Colombia, the only Portugal player to appear in every minute of the group stage.Not beating Colombia in the final game — a drawn game they looked more likely to lose than win — means a harder route to the final. In the round of 32 will be Croatia, and if they win that, it sets up a round of 16 tie with Spain.14. CroatiaFIFA ranking: 11⬆️ 1After worryingly shipping four goals against England in their opener, Croatia won their next two group games against Panama and Ghana to progress second in the group.The 2018 finalists have had five different goal scorers, with some excellent finishes from outside the box, which shows they have both quality across the team, but are not reliant on one talisman.Since losing to England, they’ve changed to a 4-2-3-1, which seems to be working better. Whether or not they can still compete with the very best sides will be proven as they face Portugal in the next round.15. SwitzerlandFIFA ranking: 19⬇️ 1After starting with a draw against Qatar, Switzerland progressed to the knockout stages as Group B winners following victories over Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. An encouraging sign has been the performances of 20-year-old Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi, who has breathed new life into the team with three goals.After going undefeated, they have a kind landing in the next phase, with Algeria in the round of 32.16. JapanFIFA ranking: 18➡️A likeable team who have impressed in the groups playing an egoless, exciting brand of football, their style was exemplified in their final game, a 1-1 draw with Sweden, in which they took off their captain after 39 minutes and scored a well-crafted team goal.Japan’s most impressive performance was the 4-0 win over Tunisia in their second group game. They will play Brazil in Houston in the round of 32, and not everyone would rule them out.17. BelgiumFIFA ranking: 9➡️After unconvincing performances against Egypt and Iran, Belgium still had enough quality to overwhelm New Zealand as their big-name forwards Leandro Trossard, Kevin de Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku all got on the scoresheet in a 5-1 win.Their performances in the group stage suggest they are not as good as their FIFA ranking implies, but in the end, they topped the group, setting up a round-of-32 match against Senegal.18. CanadaFIFA ranking: 30⬆️ 1Canada can be happy with their work in the group stages. They emphatically earned their first men’s World Cup win with a 6-0 victory over Qatar as key player Jonathan David found form, scoring a hat-trick.Ismael Kone breaking his leg against Qatar was a dark cloud, but Canada still progressed in second place. They had the chance to finish top and remain on home turf for the round of 32, but lost to Switzerland.Their opponents for the next round at SoFi Stadium? South Africa. It could be a lot worse.19. EgyptFIFA ranking: 29⬆️ 1Egypt started the day top of Group G and took an early lead against Iran, but by the end they were on the ropes and lucky not to lose. The 1-1 draw dropped them to second on goal difference, after a win against New Zealand and another draw with Belgium.It is not disastrous for their round-of-32 outlook — they will be facing Australia. But it does mean they could meet Argentina in the last 16.20. GhanaFIFA ranking: 73⬇️ 2Ghana played the group stage smartly. Coach Carlos Queiroz adjusted his tactics against each team, winning the game they needed to against Panama and earning a draw against England with an impressive defensive display.After a narrow defeat to Croatia, they slipped to third in Group L but were always going to progress, whatever the result in Philadelphia. They have shown they can be a versatile team and can stick to a game plan, which they will need to do against Colombia in the round of 32.21. Ivory CoastFIFA ranking: 33➡️With a 2-0 win over Curacao, Ivory Coast reached the World Cup knockout stages for the first time. The level of their performances in the group phase shows promise to go further, with wingers Yan Diomande and Amad capable of troubling any defence.Their round-of-32 match-up will test that. They will face the runners-up of Group I, Norway.22. SwedenFIFA ranking: 38⬆️ 1After thrashing Tunisia and being thrashed by the Netherlands, Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Japan evens them out as a solid-looking team. Sweden have wrapped up their spot in the knockouts as one of the eight best third-placed teams — despite Anthony Elanga’s apparent confusion.Elanga’s curling strike in that Japan draw showed they have individuals capable of game-changing moments, along with Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres. But they will need a big performance to get past Group I winners France in the next round.23. EcuadorFIFA ranking: 24⬆️ 1Ecuador’s victory over Germany took them through to the World Cup knockouts for the first time in 20 years. Had they not suffered a late defeat by the Ivory Coast, or been denied by Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room’s masterclass, they might have finished higher than third in Group E.They have continued the defensive strength they showed in qualifying, which bodes well for the round of 32, where they will face co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City.24. SenegalFIFA ranking: 15⬆️ 1The (stripped) African champions had a tough time in Group I, but are now confirmed to progress as one of the best third-place teams after thrashing Iraq 5-0.Senegal were competitive in games against France and Norway, but were prone to defensive errors and were played through too easily. They look more formidable going forward, but will hope goalkeeper Edouard Mendy recovers from a knee injury suffered against Norway.For the round of 32, they will meet Belgium in what could be an entertaining game.25. AlgeriaFIFA ranking: 28⬆️ 2A dramatic end to their game against Austria saw their late winner cancelled out, but a 3-3 draw was enough for progression in third place on four points after a win against Jordan. This means their round of 32 opponent will be Switzerland as opposed to Spain, not the worst news.Riyad Mahrez, 35, has rolled back the years, providing an assist and two goals since coming back into the starting lineup in the second match.26. AustriaFIFA ranking: 25⬆️ 2It is a borderline miracle Austria are still in the tournament, having been within seconds of heading home. Thankfully for Ralf Rangnick’s side, Sasa Kalajdzic’s equaliser in the final seconds of their third and final game of the group stage against Algeria was enough to earn them a reprieve.They enter the knockouts on that high, and have twice scored three goals in Group J — beating Jordan 3-1 and drawing 3-3 with Algeria. But it’s hard to see them getting past Spain in the round of 32, even with the experienced players that helped them progress from the groups.27. AustraliaFIFA ranking: 27⬇️ 1Progression as Group D runners-up marks a solid effort from Australia, and two clean sheets from three games helped them do it.Despite disappointing against the United States, their highlight was the performance against Turkey, producing a 2-0 win with only 28 per cent possession in a breakout game for 20-year-old Watford forward Nestory Irankunda.They will have to channel this solidarity and cutting-edge in the knockout stages, coming up against Egypt.28. DR Congo⬆️ 6FIFA ranking: 46Their first World Cup since 1974 sees them qualify for the knockout stages for the first time ever.A well-earned draw against Portugal in their first match put them in a good position to progress, showing defensive solidity with five at the back and Yoane Wissa providing clinical touches up front, in contrast to his Premier League form with Newcastle in 2025-26.A comeback from 1-0 down to 3-1 up against Uzbekistan sealed their place in the round of 32, where they will come up against England.29. Cape VerdeFIFA ranking: 67➡️Cape Verde reaching the knockouts on their World Cup debut is the biggest fairy tale of the tournament to date.After keeping out European champions Spain, earning goalkeeper Vozinha Instagram fame, and drawing 2-2 with Uruguay, they confirmed progression with a third point against Saudi Arabia to finish in second.The reward is a round-of-32 tie against holders Argentina. They couldn’t do it again, could they? Whatever happens in the knockout stages, these players have inspired a generation by making history.30. ParaguayFIFA ranking: 40⬆️ 1Paraguay are almost certain to qualify as one of the best third-place teams after earning their fourth point in a 0-0 draw with Australia.They started their tournament disappointingly against the co-hosts, thrashed 4-1 by the USA, but held onto a win against Turkey after Matias Galarza’s long-range strike two minutes in, despite Miguel Almiron being dismissed at the end of the first half for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent, the first ever red card for this offence.Overall, they have not looked like a team that will threaten too much in the knockout stages, other than frustrate opponents and be defensively solid, particularly as they are facing Germany.31. Bosnia and HerzegovinaFIFA ranking: 64⬆️ 1Unlike the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina didn’t waste their chance after progressing through the European qualification play-offs, knocking out Italy in the final. A 3-1 win against Qatar earned their place in the World Cup’s round of 32, adding to the point earned against Canada in their opening draw.Having finished third in Group B, they are set to face another host, the United States, in San Francisco next.32. South AfricaFIFA ranking: 61⬆️ 1After South Africa’s poor defeat in their opener against Mexico, few would have predicted the turnaround that has followed — and the big jump in our rankings.Manager Hugo Broos has tinkered with his line-up throughout the group stage, including dropping Burnley’s Lyle Foster after the 2-0 Mexico loss, and the side looked more threatening on the break against South Korea on Wednesday in a dramatic 1-0 victory.As Group A runners-up, they progressed to the knockouts for the first time and their round-of-32 opponent is another host nation — they will face Canada in Los Angeles.The eliminated teams33. IranFIFA ranking: 20⬇️ 3Iran were left to rue what could have been in their last match against Egypt, when they saw an added-time winner disallowed for a marginal offside before hitting the crossbar late on.A win would have made guaranteed their progress to the knock-out stages, but instead they were forced to wait for results from the last few groups and hope their three points and a goal difference of zero would be enough to see them through as one of the eight best third placed sides. When Algeria scored what looked like an added-time winner on Saturday evening, they were going through, but Austria’s equaliser in the last moments of the game effectively knocked Iran out.Despite being in military conflict with one of the co-hosts, the United States, in an unprecedented set of circumstances and having to fly in and out of the U.S. just hours before and after their matches, a decision that was eventually scrapped, Iran performed well in this tournament. To be eliminated without losing a match will undoubtedly sting.34. New ZealandFIFA ranking: 85⬆️ 3We will remember New Zealand at this World Cup for breakout star Elijah Just, who scored three goals, and for those Chris Wood touches in the first game against Iran.After that first game, they were overwhelmed by the quality of both Egypt and Belgium, losing comprehensively to both.But they played a part in their first World Cup since 2010, including their own viral sensation in Tim Payne. Their future goal will remain the same: reaching the knockouts for a first time.35. TurkeyFIFA ranking: 23⬆️ 3Possibly the most underwhelming team compared to their pre-tournament expectations at this year’s World Cup. Most would have predicted Turkey to progress ahead of Australia and Paraguay. Instead, they were eliminated with a game to spare.They saved face in their final match, scoring their first goals and earning a 3-2 win against the United States, but it was too late to matter.