England Jumps 4 Spots to No. 4 in Guardian's World Cup 2026 Power Rankings

2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 8

England climbed four places to No. 4 in the Guardian’s latest World Cup 2026 power rankings after a last-16 win marked by resilience, including surviving with 10 men in front of more than 80,000 hostile fans at the Azteca.
France held No. 1, Spain stayed second and Argentina remained third, with the top three praised for France’s steel, Spain’s five straight clean sheets and Argentina’s three-goal comeback in 13 minutes against Egypt.
Belgium made the biggest rise, up six spots to seventh after beating the United States, while Switzerland rose four to eighth and Norway edged up one to sixth.
Mexico, Brazil, the United States and Canada all fell five or more places after elimination, with Portugal dropping one to 12th after its exit to Spain.
The rankings were compiled from average votes cast by six Guardian World Cup writers and editors across the final 32 teams.