World Cup 2026 Power Rankings after group stage: Who’s No. 1? – ESPN
And then there were 32. We’re done with the group stage, but what do our writers and experts think the field of favorites looks like as we enter the win-or-go-home phase?
We’re just over two weeks into the 2026 FIFA World Cup and after an incredible group stage filled with drama and magic in equal measure, Sunday sees the tournament flip into win-or-go-home mode as the round of 32 kicks off when Canada take on South Africa in Los Angeles.
The action has been breathless and brilliant. The game’s superstars have played well and truly shown up — Lionel Messi has six goals, with Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior and Erling Haaland hot on his heels at four each — though only Mexico, France and Argentina went a perfect 3-for-3 in the group stage when it came to results.
We’ve had upsets galore, with South Africa finishing second in Group A after beating South Korea, tiny Cape Verde finishing second in Group H with three draws that were very different in nature — remember the name Vozinha — and advancing to the knockouts in their World Cup debut, along with Congo DR emerging as one of the eight-best third-placed teams to book a date with England in the next round.
