France Tops World Cup 2026 Rankings as Cape Verde Jumps 26 Spots
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 28
France Tops World Cup 2026 Rankings as Cape Verde Jumps 26 Spots
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 28
Summary
France held No. 1 in the latest World Cup 2026 power rankings after Kylian Mbappé scored twice against Senegal and Ousmane Dembélé hit a hat-trick against Norway.
Cape Verde made the biggest move, soaring 26 places to 19th after three draws left the nation of 530,000 second only to Spain in its group.
Argentina rose to No. 2 as Lionel Messi, now 39, became the World Cup’s record scorer and finished the group stage with six goals.
The Netherlands, Colombia, Mexico and the United States also surged, climbing 9, 15, 9 and 8 spots respectively on strong group-stage performances.
The rankings reflect a tournament already reshaped by surprise overachievers and stumbles from established sides including Portugal, Belgium, Japan, Ecuador and Senegal.