World Cup 2026 Power Rankings

It’s just a matter of months until the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway, with reigning world champions Argentina among 42 nations who have already booked their place at the tournament.The United States, Mexico, and Canada will host the world’s most-watched international competition from June 11th to July 19th.

This will be the first World Cup to be hosted by three different nations and the first to feature 48 teams after FIFA opted to increase the 32-team format. This has made it even harder to predict who, like Lionel Messi‘s Albiceleste in Qatar, will emerge victorious, who will spring a surprise like Morocco, and which footballing powerhouse will stumble, much like Germany that year.

That said, we have taken a look at how nations from every continent are faring and the likelihood they will win the World Cup. This includes those yet to qualify, as the expectation is that they will be in the mix and battling out to become world champions next summer.

Ranking Factors

• World Cup History — How the respective nations have performed in the past, such as record-holders Brazil or underperformers Belgium.
• Recent Performance — Teams that are currently in or out of form in preparation for the tournament.
• Squad and Manager Quality – Perennial winners such as newly-appointed Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti and elite players such as Spain’s Lamine Yamal.

20-11 (Dark Horses)

As with any football tournament, there are dark horses who catch the eye before and even during the competition, such as Georgia, who earned huge praise for its displays at Euro 2024. Austria and Ecuador could both be teams to watch in the summer, particularly the latter, who boast quality players in the form of Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie and Willian Pacho.

Egypt might well be the shock of the tournament as they cruised through their qualifying group with 26 points from their 10 games. Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush make for a deadly partnership that could cause the opposition all sorts of problems.

Italy have a rich World Cup history, having won the competition on four occasions. Their place at the 2026 edition is in serious jeopardy, though, after they finished second in their qualifying group. They will need to navigate the playoffs to secure their spot.

Croatia are just one of several European sides who will feel less pressure than usual. It will likely be 40-year-old Luka Modric‘s last hurrah on the international stage, and he’ll be eager to captain his country to glory after their 2018 World Cup final loss.

Perhaps no underdog story in World Cup history has been more remarkable than Morocco‘s, which surged to the semi-finals in the winter of 2022. Walid Regragui oversaw wins over Spain and Portugal in a campaign to remember for the Atlas Lions, who won all eight of their qualifying games to secure their spot in next summer’s tournament.

However, their recent AFCON final defeat at the hands of Senegal has seen the Lions of Teranga shoot above them in the rankings. They have proven to be a threat to top European teams, as England found out in June last year when they lost 3-1. Having recently lifted silverware, Pape Thiaw could mastermind a deep World Cup run.

While English fans often bemoan the Three Lions’ struggles, there’s no doubt that Belgians have had it even worse. Their ‘Golden Generation’ failed to win a major trophy, and the Red Devils still await a significant triumph on the grand stage.

Colombia fans, meanwhile, will hope that their squad can produce a similar run as they managed in 2014 and 2018. Having not played at Qatar 2022, they managed a third-place finish in qualifying for 2026, and they will fancy themselves against Uzbekistan and Portugal in Group K.

10

Norway

Norway are proving a tasty outside bet for punters after a flawless qualifying campaign. Four-time World Cup winners Italy were the overwhelming favourites to qualify from Group I, but that was not the case as Landslaget blew their competition out of the water.

Led by the incredible Erling Haaland, Norway won all eight of their matches, scoring 37 goals in the process. They destroyed Italy in both of their encounters as they recorded a 3-0 triumph at home and a 4-1 victory in Italy.

Norway will play in their first World Cup since 1998 and, with Haaland leading the line, they have the potential to go very far in the competition. Even though they have been drawn in a group of death alongside Senegal and France, they could still cause an upset against both teams.

9

Uruguay

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The inaugural World Cup hosts and winners, Uruguay, are always tricky opposition and can sometimes upset the odds, such as defeating Brazil at the Maracana in the final in 1950. You could argue that Celeste is the Atletico Madrid of South American football, although manager Marcelo Bielsa has them playing a completely different brand of football.

Bielsa’s men finished fourth in the CONMEBOL qualifying table, winning seven of 18 games, including victories over Brazil and Argentina. Real Madrid‘s Federico Valverde is his country’s engine, while Darwin Nunez has fared well when donning his nation’s colours.

What might harm their chances, though, is being drawn in the same group as Euro 2024 winners Spain. While Uruguay are capable of winning that game, La Roja will be heavy favourites, with a potential second-place finish handing Biesla’s squad a harder route to success at the tournament.

8

The Netherlands

Many look to the Netherlands as one of the top contenders when a World Cup is on the horizon, and Ronald Koeman can’t be faulted for his troops’ qualifying form. He oversaw six wins and two draws, including an 8-0 mauling of Malta.

The Oranje felt hard done by after their defeat to England in last summer’s Euros semi-finals, but Koeman’s players certainly earned plenty of plaudits. Tottenham’s Xavi Simons is one of those shining for the Dutch, as well as a formidable defence, boasting Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.

Their team is a blend of experience and youthful energy, which should allow the Netherlands to progress past Japan and Tunisia in the group stages. But having failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, before crashing out in the quarter-finals in 2022, they need to prove themselves in the knockout stages.

7

Brazil

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Everyone remembers where they were when Germany thrashed Brazil 7-1 at the Mineirao in the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup. Selecao were missing Neymar through injury and were embarrassed in front of their own fans, a moment they perhaps have never recovered from.

The shellshock of that humiliation has plagued the Brazilians, including during the ongoing CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying campaign. They have qualified for next summer’s tournament, but in a desperately worrying fashion, finishing fifth with eight wins and six losses.

Carlo Ancelotti‘s appointment was celebrated around the globe as the most successful international team in history bagged itself a proven winner. The Italian tactician has entered uncharted waters, though, by taking on a non-club role, but his special bond with Real Madrid superstars Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo could pay dividends in tough matches against Morocco and Scotland.

6

Germany

Julian Nagelsmann appeared to have Germany back on track last summer when the likes of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala starred on home soil during the European Championships. They may not have prevailed, but Die Nationalmannschaft’s promising displays suggested they’d be back in the finals of major tournaments.

That said, it’s not been smooth sailing for Nagelsmann and his men since that tournament, losing to Portugal in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals. There was also a shock 2-0 loss to Slovakia at the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign, but that proved to be the only blip on their record, as they went on to secure five consecutive victories.

Drawn in the same group as Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao, Germany should have little trouble navigating their way into the knockout stages. But we will likely only know the squad’s true potential when the latter rounds begin.

5

Portugal

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If Cristiano Ronaldo is going to complete football, it will have to happen next summer when the 40-year-old takes to a World Cup campaign for the final time. There is no doubt that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will be captaining Selecao das Quinas in the USA, Mexico and Canada, and it’s hard to fault him given his longevity.

Ronaldo aside, Roberto Martinez’s Selecao could be a real handful given a world-class squad who know how to win a tournament following their Nations League triumph. Their strength in depth is staggering, while their Spanish coach has grown into his role amid doubts over his credentials to take charge of one of international football’s heavyweights.

Portugal were able to successfully navigate their qualifying group as they put nine goals past Armenia in their first match. It’s easy to get carried away with the Euro 2016 winners though, as they were similarly hyped up for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 but couldn’t get the job done.

4

Argentina

When Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar, most of the football world came together to salute Lionel Messi for fulfilling his dream of becoming champion with Abiceleste. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner even said after his heroics that awards and other trophies didn’t matter anymore, as he’d reached the pinnacle of his sport.

That’s why there is less pressure on Lionel Scaloni’s world champions to defend their crown successfully, nor are there overwhelming expectations they will do so. But qualifying was a breeze for the blue and white stripes of South American football, with 12 wins in 18 games.

A 38-year-old Messi will probably be bowing out of international football come mid-July, and doing so with another World Cup winners’ medal would be more than a fairytale. He may also want to ensure the younger generation are in a strong position to continue dominating, such as Real Madrid summer signing Franco Mastantuono.

3

England

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Have England finally found a manager in Thomas Tuchel who can end 60 years of hurt? While many fans took aim at Gareth Southgate for a less-than-glamorous playing philosophy, it can’t be disputed that he made his country dream with lengthy runs to two European Championship finals and a semi-final defeat to Croatia at the 2018 World Cup.

In 2022, The Three Lions could have taken the crown for the first time since 1966 if Harry Kane hadn’t failed to find the back of the net from 12 yards, a rarity for their skipper and all-time top goalscorer.

Tuchel has made a decent start, but he needs to get his team selection correct, as he did for the 5-0 thrashing of Serbia. The German seems to have the confidence to make big calls and that should include leaving out one or two superstars to ensure he has a team that functions in cohesion rather than for big moments.

2

France

It’s fair to say that France have come off the boil a tad since their heartbreaking 2022 World Cup final defeat to Argentina on penalties. Les Bleus exited last summer’s European Championships in the semi-finals and were quite fortunate to make it that far.

Didier Deschamps has confirmed he’ll be stepping down as manager after the World Cup, with Zinedine Zidane being touted as a possible successor. He’d have a squad brimming with enormous talent, including captain Kylian Mbappe, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Paris Saint-Germain wonderkid Desire Doue.

France is still one of the strongest nations in world football, who, much like domestic champions, can win even in disappointing fashion. That’s a crucial asset for any country challenging for the throne of international football, as tournament football is all about results rather than performances. That being said, they’ll need to be on their toes, with tough matches against Norway and Senegal set to come in the group stages.

1

Spain

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Spain didn’t just win Euro 2024, they made a statement that La Roja were again the best footballing nation in the world. Luis de la Fuente’s side also did it the hard way, defeating France, Germany, Italy and England en route to taking home the trophy.

While this Spanish squad still have a way to go to rival the golden generation, they are definitely on their way to becoming one of history’s most celebrated footballing teams. Lamine Yamal, at just 18, is just getting started, while Ballon d’Or winner Rodri is among a long list of domineering midfielders for De la Fuente to choose from.

Spain are favourites with most bookies to win the 2026 World Cup, and on current form and success, they are who we expect to be lifting the golden trophy at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Group stage matches against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia could be a potential banana skin, but the European Champions should have sufficient quality to top Group H.