All but two of quarter-finalists lie in upper reaches
Switzerland and Norway make significant strides
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ has served up no shortage of thrills and spills as the crème de la crème of the global game vie to capture the coveted crown. With the quarter-final blockbusters beckoning, it is scant surprise that the majority of the teams in contention to reign supreme feature at the sharp end of the .
The introduction of live updates to the standings, an innovation rolled out during the April international window, allows us to run the rule over the main movers and shakers ahead of the tantalising last-eight tussles. FIFA offers you the low-down on the fortunes of the sides involved in the four match-ups, each of which will involve former world champions pitting their wits against opposition targeting a first taste of glory.
Didier Deschamps’ dynamos have leapfrogged Argentina and Spain to reclaim top spot off the back of their exploits at FIFA’s flagship men’s event. The formidable French head into their quarter-final contest against Morocco looking down on the rest of the field. For their part, the North Africans have closed the gap on fifth-placed Brazil to a single point after the Seleção succumbed 2-1 to Norway in the Round of 16. Desperate to cement their place at football’s top table, the Atlas Lions, who have roared back into sixth spot, will be hoping that Boston Stadium again proves to be a happy stomping ground in what promises to be a thriller.
Although La Roja have turned in some seriously red-hot performances at this year’s showpiece event, they have dropped down to third in the global pecking order by virtue of the simple fact that the French have amassed more points than them, with Les Bleus having given all comers a dose of the blues, while the Spanish stuttered in a scoreless stalemate against Cabo Verde. Luis de la Fuente’s side retain their berth on the podium courtesy of their nip-and-tuck 1-0 success over Portugal, who plummet a pair of places to seventh.
That victory in the all-Iberian affair set the Spanish up for a showdown with the Belgians in Los Angeles on Friday. The Red Devils, who are gearing up for a fourth World Cup quarter-final appearance, have climbed one rung since the action got under way in North America and now sit pretty in eighth. Having breezed past the USA 4-1 last time out, the buoyant Belgians are primed for their mouth-watering meeting with the 2010 champions.
Norway are the biggest climbers since the tournament kicked off at Mexico City Stadium back on 11 June. Stale Solbakken’s stars are enjoying an eye-catching campaign in their first foray on the global stage since 1998. Led by superstar hitman Erling Haaland, who is amongst the frontrunners in the race to bag the after having notched seven times in four outings, the Scandinavians have shot up no fewer than 12 spots and now lie in 19th.
As for the Landslaget’s last-eight opponents, England, they tightened their grip on fourth position after squeezing past co-hosts Mexico in an edge-of-your-seat 3-2 triumph. With Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham having accounted for ten of the Three Lions’ 11 goals at the tournament, Thomas Tuchel will be hoping that the pair once again don their shooting boots when they run out at Miami Stadium.
Although La Albiceleste have emerged victorious in all five of their tournament assignments to date, the standing of their opponents compared to those that the French have conquered has resulted in the CONMEBOL heavyweights collecting fewer points and relinquishing top spot. However, the titlists can take plenty of encouragement from their epic 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt as they prepare to square off against Murat Yakin’s unbeaten Switzerland side.
The Nati lined up a meeting with Lionel Scaloni’s troops by inching past Colombia on penalties to continue their rise, which has seen them bump up five berths into 14th place. The Swiss will be targeting a top-10 spot for the first time in seven years as they vie to keep the good times rolling on North American soil.
Sources: FIFA Official
