Spain turned up. Should they be favourites? Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day 22
There are now just three round-of-32 ties remaining, with the last 16 almost set following Thursday’s matches. At…
Mexico into the top six: Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day 20
With just under half of the matches in the round of 32 now completed, the last 16 is…
The U.S. move into the top 10 for the first time. Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day 19
Well, that changes things. On the second day of the World Cup round of 32, two of the…
Are England’s key players finding form? Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day 17
The conclusion of the group stages brought some late drama, with Austria equalising in the last seconds to…
Are favourites France getting stronger still? Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day 16
That’s a wrap on day 16. World Cup favourites France and the brilliant Ousmane Dembele didn’t take it…
Does Ecuador’s shock knock Germany down? Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day 15
The Athletic has live coverage of Uruguay vs Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ecuador dug deep…
How does Ronaldo turning up change things? Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day 13
Cristiano Ronaldo announced himself at the World Cup party with a double in Portugal’s thrashing of Uzbekistan, while…
Which team is up 11 places and into the top 10? Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day 12
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland did it again. They are the stars delivering at this World…
Turkey down and out! Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day nine
Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app. It was another fantastic…
Re-ranking the 48 World Cup teams after day six: France and Argentina justify their top spots
Both of the finalists from Qatar 2022, holders Argentina and runners-up France, got their tournaments underway on Tuesday…