Argentina has spent most of the 2026 World Cup as the No. 1 overall team in the FIFA World Ranking. That changed following the tournament’s round of 32.

Lionel Messi‘s squad was able to hang on in its first knockout stage match and earn a 3-2 victory over Cape Verde. However, La Albiceleste needed extra time to defeat the Blue Sharks, and that tight result dropped Argentina to No. 2 in the world.

Which squad has overtaken the reigning World Cup champions? That would be France, which has seesawed back and forth with Argentina throughout the tournament.

France earned decisive wins in its group stage matches against Senegal, Iraq and Norway. Les Bleus then cruised to a round of 32 win over Sweden to allow it to pass Argentina in the world rankings.

Unsurprisingly, many of the 16 countries remaining in the 2026 World Cup are among the highest-rated in the world. The Netherlands was the only top-10 squad not to qualify for the round of 16 after a penalty shootout loss to Morocco (another top-10 team), but all the rest of the top teams are still in the mix for the world title.

Here’s a look at the current FIFA men’s world ranking as the 2026 World Cup enters the round of 16:

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World Cup team rankings by FIFA

Current FIFA ranking for teams in knockout round, includes 2026 World Cup results through July 3.

1. France – 1
2. Argentina – 2
3. Spain – 3
4. England – 4
5. Brazil – 5
6. Morocco – 6
7. Portugal – 7
8. Belgium – 9
9. Mexico – 10
10. Colombia – 11
11. Switzerland – 15
12. USA – 16
13. Norway – 21
14. Egypt – 24
15. Canada – 30
16. Paraguay – 34

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