Sports

Spain Fires Back Into the Top 10 of the World Cup Power Rankings

Spain were humiliated and laughed at following their 0-0 tie to begin the World Cup against the small nation of Cape Verde.

But after Sunday’s action, not only have Spain climbed back into the top 10 of the power rankings after being in the bottom half following their first match day, but that tie to Cape Verde isn’t looking so embarrassing now that the same small nation drew against Uruguay.

Lamine Yamal started his first-ever World Cup game after coming off the bench at the end of their contest with Cape Verde, and he was a major factor early, scoring the first goal on the day in Atlanta to get his team relaxed following what happened last week.

Alongside Spain, another big mover up the board to end the week was Egypt, who are now in pole position to win their group after beating New Zealand by a scoreline of 3-1. Belgium, the heavy favorites, have not gotten out of the gates two games in, drawing with Egypt in their first game before going goalless alongside Iran in another draw on Sunday. If Egypt can beat Iran in their final game, Belgium at best can only finish second in their group, and that’s depending on if they can beat New Zealand.

It has not been a good tournament for Belgium, who will continue to be in the bottom half of our rankings and are on the verge of toppling outside the top 30 depending on how other teams do in the coming days.

The top five stay the same as yesterday, with both Argentina and France looking to keep ahead of the pack on Monday as they play their second match days against Austria and Iraq, respectively.

More news: Ranking All 48 Teams at the World Cup After the First Round of Matches

More news: Lamine Yamal Scores First World Cup Goal Earlier Than Messi, Ronaldo

The World Cup Power Rankings (After Day 11)

  1. Argentina
  2. France
  3. England
  4. Netherlands
  5. Japan
  6. United States of America
  7. Germany
  8. Norway
  9. Spain
  10. Brazil
  11. Colombia
  12. Morocco
  13. Ivory Coast
  14. Mexico
  15. Canada
  16. Australia
  17. Austria
  18. Sweden
  19. Egypt
  20. Senegal
  21. Croatia
  22. Scotland
  23. Switzerland
  24. Paraguay
  25. South Korea
  26. Uruguay
  27. Cape Verde
  28. Belgium
  29. Iran
  30. New Zealand
  31. Portugal
  32. Ecuador
  33. Algeria
  34. Curaçao
  35. Ghana
  36. DR Congo
  37. Uzbekistan
  38. Saudi Arabia
  39. Jordan
  40. Czechia
  41. Bosnia & Herzegovina
  42. Iraq
  43. South Africa
  44. Panama
  45. Turkey
  46. Haiti
  47. Qatar
  48. Tunisia

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 11:03 PM.

Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER