World Cup 2026 Power Rankings: Evaluation of all 48 teams after first round matches
Santiago Gómez
— · 3 min read
Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick on his 200th cap, equaling Miroslav Klose's all-time finals record of 16 goals. France's Kylian Mbappe now holds the impressive record of 14 goals in 15 World Cup appearances, which speaks volumes for his performances. Cape Verde's goalless draw against Spain became the story of the tournament, surprising one of the tournament's leading players. Morocco's Ayoub Bouadi showed off his water performance against Brazil, making him the potential star of the tournament. Sweden's shock 5-1 victory also convinced the Tunisian coach after the first round of the tournament.
Every team has now played once in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the football was spectacular. Lionel Messi produced a historic performance against Algeria, scoring his first World Cup hat-trick on his 200th cap, marking 20 years since his first World Cup appearance. The hat-trick took him to 16 goals, equaling Miroslav Klose's all-time goalscoring record. Subsequently, his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo became the greatest player in World Cup history in a draw against DR Congo. Below, we look at who performed in North America and what needs work.
1. France France are the favorites and they started with a 3-1 win over Senegal. Kylian Mbappe has a record of 14 goals in World Cups. France have some concerns in the middle, but their forward line is outstanding.
2. Argentina When the underdogs start their campaign with a 3-0 win and the world's greatest player scores a hat-trick, it's hard not to notice.
3. Spain Spain put a lot of thought into their game against Cape Verde, but these are opportunities for them.
4. England These are relevant games for England fans.
5. Germany There aren't too many expectations about Germany, but they have talent everywhere.
6. The Netherlands The Netherlands are going to be a problem for anyone.
7. Morocco Morocco gave a great performance against Brazil.
8. Portugal Portugal lost the ball against DR Congo.
9. Brazil Brazil has problems in the middle.
10. Japan Japan put on a great performance against the Netherlands.
11. Norway Erling Holland scored two goals against Iraq.
12. Croatia Croatia gave a great performance against England.
13. USA USA gave a great win against Paraguay.
14. Mexico Mexico performed brilliantly against South Africa.
15. Sweden Sweden performed brilliantly against Tunisia with a 5-1 victory.
16. Senegal Senegal had a worrying first half against France.
17. Uruguay Uruguay performed brilliantly against Saudi Arabia.
18. Ivory Coast With the opening victory, Ivory Coast performed well.
19. South Korea South Korea won against Czech Republic.
20. Belgium Belgium put on a show against Egypt.
21. Colombia Colombia scored a great goal against Uzbekistan.
22. Ecuador Ecuador performed brilliantly.
23. Switzerland Switzerland missed a clear chance against the row.
24. Austria Austria had a great performance against Jordan.
25. Australia Australia gave a great victory against Turkey.
26. Egypt Egypt had a great performance against Belgium.
27. Turkey Turkey showed signs against Australia.
28. Iran Iran gave a great victory against New Zealand.
29. DR Congo DR Congo put up a great performance against Portugal.
30. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia performed brilliantly against Uruguay.
