How do the 32 World Cup teams rank after the second round of matches?
1 FRANCE (↑2)
Two wins from two, and the first team through to the knockout stages with a game to spare – things couldn’t really have gone any better for France. Their performance against Denmark wasn’t quite as explosive as their opening win over Australia, but Kylian Mbappe can claim to have been the star of the tournament so far while Ousmane Dembele also impressed against the Danes. Despite all their absentees, this is a French side with few obvious weaknesses.
2 BRAZIL (↑2)
Back-to-back victories mean Brazil are one of only three teams through to the knockout rounds with a game to spare. Without the injured Neymar, the pre-tournament favourites took a while to get into their stride against Switzerland, but they proved too strong in the end and were deserved winners. Significantly, they are one of only three teams in the tournament yet to concede a goal – their defence is rarely mentioned, but it is one of their key strengths.
3 PORTUGAL (↑4)
Having already seen off Ghana, Portugal booked their place in the last 16 with an impressive display against Uruguay. Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva haven’t always clicked in the same international side, but they seem to be gelling reasonably well this time around. They weren’t really being touted as contenders prior to their opening game, but this is a Portuguese side that would be dangerous to write off.
4 SPAIN (↓3)
They couldn’t make it two wins in a row, but Spain still emerged from their 1-1 draw with Germany with their status as potential tournament winners intact. No one passes the ball better, and no one boasts a more creative and controlled midfield, but if there is to be a worry, then even after slamming seven goals past Costa Rica, the fact that Alvaro Morata is the only natural striker in the squad remains a nagging concern.
5 ECUADOR (↑4)
The Ecuadorians proved their opening-day win over Qatar was no fluke as they pushed the Netherlands all the way despite the concession of an early goal. Playing with pace and purpose, and a large amount of energy, Ecuador will cause problems for whoever they come up against, although an injury to Enner Valencia, who is the tournament’s joint leading scorer, is a worry.
6 MOROCCO (↑18)
Having been the better side in their opening draw with Croatia, Morocco stepped up another couple of levels as they saw off Belgium. The North Africans are one of the best-balanced sides in Qatar – strong, aggressive and well-organised in defence, and penetrative and incisive in attack, with the combination of Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech enabling them to cause havoc down their right-hand side.
7 ENGLAND (↓5)
Gareth Southgate’s side were brought back down to earth with a bump as they followed up their free-flowing thrashing of Iran with a much stodgier display against the US. England’s midfield malfunctioned badly on Friday, leaving Southgate with some selection dilemmas ahead of Tuesday’s showdown with Wales, although the central defenders performed well to secure a valuable clean sheet.
8 CROATIA (↑13)
Croatia top Group F after running out emphatic winners over Canada, although their opponents’ openness definitely played into their hands. If nothing else, Croatia’s ageing midfield proved it is still capable of troubling the best, while Andrej Kramaric’s two goals should give him plenty of confidence for the rest of the tournament. Their final game against Belgium is huge for both sides.
9 NETHERLANDS (↓1)
They remain unbeaten, but the Netherlands’ standing took a bit of a dent as they were unable to see off a spirited Ecuador. Cody Gakpo has scored two goals in two games to underline his reputation as an emerging force, but the Dutch continue to lack a proven centre-forward. With Qatar up next though, their place in the knockout rounds is surely all-but-assured.
10 SWITZERLAND (↑1)
They couldn’t follow up their opening-game victory with another success against Brazil, but the Swiss were typically well-organised and compact as they restricted the Brazilian attack to just one goal. They will fancy their chances against Serbia in their final game, with a draw almost certain to be good enough to see them through. Not one of the most exciting teams in Qatar, but generally pretty effective.
11 IRAN (↑19)
What a response to that opening-day hiding at the hands of England. Iran were bright and inventive as they put Wales to the sword on Friday, claiming a deserved success that gives them every chance of progressing in Tuesday’s winner-takes-all clash with the USA. Given what is going on at home, Iran’s focus and spirit has been remarkable.
12 SENEGAL (↑15)
Having pushed the Dutch close in their opening game, Senegal claimed a comfortable win over Qatar to keep their hopes of progressing alive. They have successfully shrugged off the loss of Sadio Mane, with Boulaye Dia and Famara Diedhiou combining effectively, and boast a decent defence, led by Chelsea duo Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly.
13 ARGENTINA (↑3)
They still weren’t back to their best, but at least Argentina’s win over Mexico means they head into their final group game against Poland with their fate in their own hands. Major parts of the Argentinian side continue to malfunction, but they’ve got Lionel Messi, and as the Mexico game proved, that means they’ll always have a chance of pulling something out of the fire.
14 POLAND (↑11)
Having burst Saudi Arabia’s bubble, Poland sit at the top of Group C ahead of their final-game showdown with Argentina. They’ll have to improve again to make the knockout stages, but their attack showed much-needed signs of life against the Saudis and Robert Lewandowski can finally relax slightly with a World Cup goal on his CV.
15 SAUDI ARABIA (↓9)
The World Cup surprise packages were brought back down to earth with a bump as they lost to Poland although, in fairness, they caused problems for the Poles and might well have remained unbeaten had a couple of key moments fallen in their favour. Beat Mexico in their final group game, and they’ll be guaranteed to go through.
16 GHANA (↑7)
Ghana bounced back from their opening-game defeat against Portugal with a victory over South Korea in another entertaining affair. The Black Stars have scored five and conceded five in their opening two matches, highlighting their strengths at one end of the field and weaknesses at the other. Their games tend to be open affairs, but they will always give themselves a chance.
17 UNITED STATES (↓5)
Two decent performances have resulted in two draws, meaning the US have everything to play for as they prepare to line up against Iran on Tuesday night. There have been flashes of real attacking flair against both England and Wales, although it is a slight worry that both performances fizzled out in the second half after much a brighter performance during the opening 45 minutes.
18 JAPAN (↓13)
Dazzling against Germany; dreadful against Costa Rica. It has been a World Cup of two halves so far for Japan, who were worryingly easy to contain as they failed to build on their opening-day win. The concession of a late goal to Keysher Fuller could be costly with Spain up next. Japan’s energy and movement are impressive, but for all that they beat Germany, are they clinical enough to see off Spain?
19 BELGIUM (↓9)
Thoughts that this might be a tournament too far for Belgium’s golden generation were solidified as they crashed to a deserved defeat at the hands of Morocco. The likes of Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens have flattered to deceive, while Kevin de Bruyne has barely featured in either of his side’s opening two games. Much could now depend on the availability of a hobbling Romelu Lukaku for their group decider.
20 GERMANY (↑2)
Their future in the tournament continues to hang by a thread, but there were at least some welcome signs of life as Germany fought back to claim a point against Spain. Jamal Musiala doesn’t deserve to be in a team with only one point to its name, but it was telling that it needed the introduction of old-school striker Niclas Fullkrug to transform German hopes. Will Hansi Flick start him against Costa Rica on Thursday?
21 AUSTRALIA (↑8)
What a great response to that opening-game hiding at the hands of France. Australia rode their luck during their 1-0 win over Tunisia, but having claimed the lead through Mitchell Duke, their backs-to-the-wall defending in the second half was hugely impressive. It’ll still be a battle to get out of the group, but the Socceroos have given themselves a chance.
22 COSTA RICA (↑10)
Having been walloped by Spain in their opening game, Costa Rica set up to frustrate in their second match against Japan. They did that and more, with Keysher Fuller’s late winner securing a victory that few saw coming. They are likely to adopt a similar gameplan in their final game against Germany, although with their opponents desperately needing a positive result, it is hard to see lightning striking twice.
23 SERBIA (↑3)
At 3-1 up against Cameroon, and causing problems pretty much every time they attacked, Serbia were well placed to make the knockout rounds. The concession of two second-half goals in a 3-3 draw was a massive blow, and suggests the existence of a soft underbelly that few would previously have associated with the Serbs. They will cause problems for Switzerland in their final game though.
24 DENMARK (↓5)
With one point from two matches, Denmark are in serious trouble as they head into their final group game against Australia. They haven’t been dreadful so far, but their only goal has come from a set-piece and their lack of threat from open play is a major worry. Christian Eriksen hasn’t really clicked into gear yet either, which is something that will have to change if they are to go through.
25 URUGUAY (↓7)
They were being touted as potential dark horses prior to the start of the tournament, but Uruguay have been bitterly disappointing so far. They played with the handbrake on for most of their game against Portugal, and were deservedly beaten as a result, and in Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, they are saddled with two formerly great players who now look a long way off their best as they head towards retirement.
26 MEXICO (↓6)
Mexico’s proud record of seemingly always getting out of the group stage is in major peril after their defeat to a Messi-inspired Argentina. They’re not done and dusted yet, with a game against Saudi Arabia to come, but they desperately need to find a goalscorer if their impassioned fans are not to be left disappointed. They can hassle and harry the opposition, but can they score?
27 SOUTH KOREA (↓10)
They battled their way back into the game against Ghana, but South Korea’s defensive deficiencies proved their undoing as they conceded a third goal to slip to a 3-2 defeat. In truth, the damage was done in the first half as they fell two goals behind, and over the course of their two performances so far, the South Koreans have been a disappointment, with their talisman, Son Heung-min, decidedly out of sorts in his mask.
28 CAMEROON (-)
They fought back valiantly to claim a point against Serbia in a 3-3 draw that was the Game of the Tournament so far, but the damage was done via the calamitous defending that saw them fall two goals behind in the first place. With a final group game against Brazil to come, it is hard to see anything other than a group exit for a side that now how to entertain, but struggle to defend.
29 TUNISIA (↓14)
Having looked pretty good in their opening game against Denmark, Tunisia slipped to a bitterly disappointing defeat to Australia that leaves them at the foot of Group D. Like a number of sides in this tournament, the Tunisians look okay until they get to the final third, but their lack of a genuine goalscoring threat looks like being their undoing.
30 WALES (↓17)
This has proved a tournament too far for Wales’ ageing stars, who were deservedly beaten by a superior Iran after drawing with the US. Even Gareth Bale was unable to make the Welsh dragon roar on Friday, meaning it all comes down to having to beat England to have any chance of going through.
31 CANADA (↓17)
They’re out, but a tally of zero points from their opening two matches is a harsh return for a Canadian side who have definitely added something to the World Cup thanks to their attacking zest and gung-ho approach. The less said about the defending the better though, and ultimately that has been their undoing. A degree of naivety was always to be expected given their lack of tournament pedigree, but Canada have been wilfully negligent at times.
32 QATAR (↓1)
The first team to exit the tournament, and now confirmed as not only the worst team at this World Cup but also the poorest host nation in the history of the tournament. They at least broke their duck by scoring against Senegal, but they have been outclassed in both of their matches so far, a situation that is unlikely to improve when they face the Netherlands.
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