2026 World Cup Power Rankings: Ranking All 48 World Cup Teams

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here this week, and the expansion to 48 teams means even an additional 16 teams to pay attention to than usual. That also means more players, tactics, and formations to familiarize yourself with.

We’re here to help, starting with our pre-tournament 2026 World Cup Power Rankings. Below, we’ll list all 48 teams in the World Cup, ranked from last to first, and then we’ll go in depth on each of the top 10 teams, with their payouts to win the World Cup on PrizePicks Team Picks.

Before and during World Cup 2026, you can make real-money predictions on game winners, players, over/under and more, including which teams will win their groups or advance to the knockout stage on PrizePicks Team Picks.

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2026 World Cup Power Rankings: All 48 Teams, Ranked

Here are our final 2026 World Cup power rankings for all 48 teams, from Curacao at the bottom to Spain at the top. 

Use these power rankings to help make your World Cup predictions on PrizePicks — and stay dialed in for picks and predictions for every World Cup game from our soccer experts.

48. Curacao

47. Haiti

46. Cape Verde

45. Iraq

44. New Zealand

43. South Africa

42. Ghana

41. Qatar

40. DR Congo

39. Jordan

38. Saudi Arabia

37. Uzbekistan

36. Egypt

35. Sweden

34. Czechia

33. Australia

32. Bosnia & Herzegovina

31. Scotland

30. Tunisia

29. Iran

28. Panama

27. Paraguay

26. Canada

25. Algeria

24. Austria

23. South Korea

22. Uruguay

21. Japan

20. United States

19. Ivory Coast

18. Norway

17. Switzerland

16. Senegal

15. Morocco

14. Mexico

13. Belgium

12. Ecuador

11. Turkiye

10. Croatia

9. Colombia

8. Brazil

7. Germany

6. Netherlands

5. Portugal

4. England

3. Argentina

2. France

1. Spain

2026 World Cup Power Rankings: Top 10 Teams

As we’re set to start the tournament this week, my final 2026 World Cup power rankings are based on a combination of factors. 

Primarily, I’m looking at the talent each nation possesses, the difficulty of their group, and their form entering the tournament. I’m also factoring their position in the World Football Elo rankings — which is a far better barometer of a team’s performance than the FIFA world rankings. 

Payouts listed are from PrizePicks Team Picks and indicate real-money payout multipliers that are live as of writing, but are subject to change. The higher the number, the lower the implied chance of the outcome. You can make predictions on World Cup winners, matches, total goals, and more to win real money throughout the tournament.

With those things in mind, here is a full breakdown of the top 10 teams in the 2026 World Cup power rankings.

10. Croatia

Croatia to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 33.33x | No N/A

Luka Modric is still bossing the midfield even at the age of 40. He led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final, winning the Golden Ball in the process, and is coming off a terrific season with AC Milan to captain Croatia in his final World Cup.

The aging side features plenty of experience. 37-year old Ivan Perisic will join him on the left wing, while Andrej Kramaric anchors the No. 10 role. 34-year old Ante Budimir is also back at striker. 

LB Josko Gvardiol could be the next Croatian star, while ST Petar Musa is in stellar form in MLS. He could be poised to have a breakout tournament.

Croatia could well be protected from the heat, which is massive given the age of their core. The group stage is very kind, with matches in Dallas, Toronto, and Philadelphia. 

If they finish second in Group — as projected by implied chances on PrizePicks, their path to the quarterfinals sees them again play in Toronto and Dallas — which is a climate-controlled situation. It’s an underestimated advantage that many are overlooking.

Make Croatia World Cup 2026 Predictions on PrizePicks – including how far they’ll advance

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9. Colombia

Colombia to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 33.33x | No N/A

Colombia is a dangerous side, and qualification saw them defeat both Brazil and Argentina. AM James Rodriguez is fit and back pulling the strings, while LW Luis Diaz is coming off a stellar campaign with Bayern Munich.

The 2024 Copa America runners-up have the ability to come at opponents in waves, with plenty of pace in the wide areas. Consistency is the biggest concern for this side, as they tend to be streaky.

Luis Suarez has performed well at Sporting, but both he and Cucho Hernandez need to become more reliable strikers for this side. They also need the double pivot in their 4-2-3-1 to play above their typical levels to prevent the midfield from being overrun.

That said, this team is dangerous and has a history of pulling off big results. Overlook them at your own peril. 

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8. Brazil

Brazil to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 9.09x | No 1.05x

Brazil are the quintessential World Cup side for most casual soccer fans. The iconic yellow shirt invokes memories of Pele and joga bonito.

Those days are long gone. Carlo Ancelotti is coming to North America with a squad that is a far cry from those of years gone by. There are serious question marks at fullback, especially after the injury on Saturday to Wesley.

Gabriel and Marquinhos provide Brazil one of the best central defensive pairings in the tournament, but there is little depth behind them. That’s a concern given Marquinhos is injury prone.

The Neymar sideshow isn’t helping things. Ancelotti brought him in over the likes of Joao Pedro, and now his injury concerns might see him scratched. 

Brazil’s wide attack is loaded with the likes of Raphinha and Vinicius Jr, who has yet to find his way with the national team. If anybody can unlock the 25-year-old, it’s Ancelotti. 

Finding a way to get him on track and working well with Raphinha could be what determines whether Brazil gets past Morocco and makes a run in this tournament. 

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7. Germany

Germany to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 11.11x | No 1.03x

Germany possesses plenty of talent, and a good amount of experience. GK Manuel Neuer provides plenty of leadership at the back, while AM Jamal Musiala has returned from a devastating injury during last summer’s Club World Cup.

Julian Nagelsmann can also turn to a group of players with plenty of experience together at both the domestic and international level, including plenty of Bayern Munich players. Musiala and Neuer are joined by fellow Bavarians in the likes of RB Joshua Kimmich, CB Jonathan Tah, and CM Leon Goretzka. 

The biggest question mark lies in attack. AM Florian Wirtz has suffered a serious drop in form since his move to Liverpool, and FW Kai Havertz isn’t an out-and-out striker. Nick Woltemade is, but the Newcastle man hasn’t been in great form either. Deniz Undav could end up being the man who scores the goals for the Germans.

The loss of Lennart Karl to injury is a huge one. Germany will need Wirtz to step up and support Musiala as the creative force this side needs in order to reach the knockout stage for the first time since the 2014 World Cup.

Make Germany World Cup 2026 Predictions on PrizePicks – including how far they’ll advance

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6. Netherlands

Team to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 14.28x | No 1.02x

If not for the injury to AM Xavi Simons late in the season, I’d have the Netherlands in my Top 4. That’s because the attacking phase is the one area where the Oranje are a bit thin.

The Dutch have perhaps the best roster of defensive talent in the tournament. Ronaldo Koeman might be best suited to play three at the back, with the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Jurrien Timber at his disposal.

That would allow RB Denzel Dumfries to bomb the right wing in support of a midfield anchored by Tijani Reijnders, Ryan Gravenberch, and Frenkie de Jong. It would also let him link with RW Donyell Malen, who is in terrific form scoring 15 goals for Roma in 20 matches. 

If the Netherlands win their group and things hold true to form, they have a very favorable path to the quarterfinals and a matchup with France. 

Make Netherlands World Cup 2026 Predictions on PrizePicks – including how far they’ll advance

5. Portugal

Portugal to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 7.14x | No 1.07x

Portugal has perhaps the best midfield trio in the world in Vitinha, Joao Neves, and Bruno Fernandes. They also have one of the best left backs in the world in Nuno Mendes.

That said, their defense tends to leak too many goals. CB Ruben Dias anchors the unit, but he’s going to need help if Portugal wants to make a deep run.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest wild card in this tournament. He’s still chugging along at age 41, and he’s desperate to win the one trophy that has eluded him in his career. That desperation often leads to him making selfish decisions.

That was evident in Portugal’s friendly win over Chile this weekend, when he attempted a shot instead of making a simple pass that would’ve led to an easy goal.

Ronaldo has never scored a knockout goal at the World Cup. His ability to overlook that and do what his needs in the moment could be what decides their fate. 

Make Portugal World Cup 2026 Predictions on PrizePicks – including how far they’ll advance

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4. England

Team to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 7.69x | No 1.07x

Quite a few England fans were left scratching their heads and making their thoughts known after Thomas Tuchel’s squad announcement was completed. The absence of midfielders Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Morgan Gibbs-White were a shock to many. 

The omission of Gibbs-White was particularly odd, given a stellar campaign for Nottingham Forest where he scored 18 goals and assisted seven others. Still, England’s squad is very solid, especially in defense. 

Manchester City teammates John Stones and Marc Guehi will be the likely centerback partnership, while fellow Citizen Nico O’Reilly will play left back after a stellar breakout campaign. 

The Arsenal duo of CM Declan Rice and RW Bukayo Saka will be heavily relied upon to help get the ball to ST Harry Kane, who scored 64 goals in 56 matches for Bayern Munich this season. He was the best striker in Europe this season, and will be dying to get his hands on international silverware. 

Make England World Cup 2026 Predictions on PrizePicks – including how far they’ll advance

3. Argentina

Argentina to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 8.33x | No 1.06x

Lionel Messi led Argentina to the mountaintop at the 2022 World Cup, as they defeated France on penalties in perhaps the greatest final in history. Repeating won’t be an easy task.

Messi’s four years older now, and at nearly 39 years old he spends much of his matches preserving energy for key moments. That said, it’s clear that he’s still able to make a major impact on matches.

Argentina’s only defeat in their last 13 matches came to Ecuador, in a match Messi missed. They failed to manage a shot on target, which underlies their need for his playmaking ability.

There are questions in defense, and GK Emi Martinez had an error-filled campaign for Aston Villa. However, they’re still very stacked up top, with ST Julian Alvarez coming off a terrific season with Atletico Madrid.

A favorable group sets Argentina up to likely avoid both France and Spain until the World Cup final, which will also be a huge boost to their chances of repeating. 

Make Argentina World Cup 2026 Predictions on PrizePicks – including how far they’ll advance

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2. France

France to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 5.26x | No 1.14x

The saying goes, “The only team that can beat France is France,” and that may very well prove to be true this year. This team is loaded with depth at nearly every position, but so often they’ve created their own demise.

France has ridiculous attacking talent, but is there enough of the ball to go around for the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue, and Rayan Cherki? Will Mbappe’s lack of defensive work allow opponents to isolate LB Theo Hernandez? 

Will CB Dayot Upamecano be a reliable partner for William Saliba, or will he be prone to mistakes as he has with Bayern Munich? And can Saliba stay healthy?

French manager Didier Deschamps will want to go out with a title. If he can keep this team focused and address those concerns, it will be a tall task for anybody else to defeat them — despite coming out of the tournament’s toughest group.

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1. Spain

Spain to Win 2026 World Cup: Yes 5x | No 1.14x

If RW Lamine Yamal is healthy for the knockout stages, then Spain are the most complete, dangerous squad in the entire tournament. Their midfield is anchored by Rodri, with the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Fabian Ruiz, and Martin Zubimendi providing plenty of central options.

Mikel Oyarzabal’s conversion to striker has given them a player who comes up with big goals in clutch moments, while Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo present other options in a central attacking role. Yamal’s technical ability and fire-at-will mentality also gives Spain a player who can break down even the tightest of defenses.

Pau Cubarsi is only 19 years old, but will help anchor the defense at centerback, while Marc Cucurella may be the best left back in the world. The bulk of their squad is in stellar form, and their group is one of the most favorable in the tournament. They’re odds-on favorites for a reason.  

Make Spain World Cup 2026 Predictions on PrizePicks – including if they will win the tournament!

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Make Your World Cup 2026 Predictions on PrizePicks

The 2026 World Cup's expansion to 48 teams makes for some intriguing matchups and storylines. Some teams — like Spain, France, and England up top — have realistic expectations of winning the tournament, while others simply want to get through the group stage for the first time ever. 

You can make your World Cup winner predictions and more 2026 World Cup picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money on World Cup games. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats like shots or goals, and cash in if you’re correct. 

With Team Picks, make your World Cup predictions on game winners, World Cup futures, players, over/unders, and more — now available in 35 states. 

Stick around with the Playbook for continued World Cup predictions, picks, and analysis through the end of the tournament.