2026 World Cup Power Rankings: Why Colombia Belongs In the Top 5
#2026 World Cup#Colombia#USA#Germany#England#Argentina#power rankings#host advantage
📌 Key Takeaways
Colombia is ranked in the top 5 for the 2026 World Cup due to their strong team performance.
The USA is considered a top-10 contender, benefiting from hosting the tournament.
Germany is expected to perform well in crucial moments despite not being their strongest team.
England is placed at No. 5 to avoid pressure, though they are a very capable team.
Argentina faces significant challenges in repeating as champions, a feat not achieved since the 1960s.
📖 Full Retelling
Are South American teams going to dominate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Maybe not all of them, but it would not be surprising to see two of CONMEBOL's best in the tournament's semifinals. Here are my full power rankings with less than 100 days until the first game on June 11: You know, you love them (or at least you know them; I love them): the USA. It’s not crazy to put USA here in the top-10. In the FIFA Rankings, the U.S. is at 15th, but again, this isn’t just a World Cup; it’s a home World Cup and I think that is relative to the fact that they are going to find some magic, being the host and playing in a home World Cup, more than our friends in the north, Canada, and our friends to south, Mexico. It’s still Germany. This isn’t the greatest German team, but Germany and Germans: they find a way in big moments to be big, and I think they’re going to be big here. Morocco, everybody’s darling over the past couple of cycles. Men, women, all ages — there’s something in the water over there and I think that will continue. I often times have been much more bullish about the Brazilian team than my "State of the Union" my co-host David Mosse, although he’s coming around a little as of late. We’re keeping an eye on Cristiano Ronaldo and a possible injury; who knows if that plays into it. We’ve talked so much about the depth that Roberto Martinez has at his disposal with this Portugal team but also the dynamic that he has to deal with in Cristiano Ronaldo. I could have put England higher, but I put them at No. 5, and they should thank me because they don’t want any pressure. I do think they will wilt and fold under pressure, so I’m going to put them in at No. 5. Still, this a very good England team and you know it pains me to say that. While this is a great Argentina team and they’re the defending champions, a repeat hasn’t been done since back in the 60s and I think it’s going to be very, very difficult to do. Everybody’s darling, Colombia. They’re a great team and I do thi
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east and northeast, Brazil to the southeast, Peru and Ecuador to the south and ...
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country located in the southern cone of South America and with a claimed portion of Antarctica. It covers an area of 2,780,085 km2 (1,073,397 mi2), making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the...
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Western and Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north with the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 82 million, making it the most populous member sta...
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, ...
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. England shares a land border with Scotland to the north and another land border with Wales to the west, and is otherwise su...
- No Data Available - BROWSE BY SPORTS & TEAMS PLAYERS SHOWS PERSONALITIES TOPICS Built on FIFA Men's World Cup FIFA Men's World Cup 2026 World Cup Power Rankings: Why Colombia Belongs In the Top 5 Published Mar. 5, 2026 6:25 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Alexi Lalas Soccer Analyst Are South American teams going to dominate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup ? Maybe not all of them, but it would not be surprising to see two of CONMEBOL's best in the tournament's semifinals. Here are my full power rankings with less than 100 days until the first game on June 11: #10 United States previously unranked FIFA Rank: 15 You know, you love them (or at least you know them; I love them): the USA. It’s not crazy to put USA here in the top-10. In the FIFA Rankings, the U.S. is at 15th, but again, this isn’t just a World Cup; it’s a home World Cup and I think that is relative to the fact that they are going to find some magic, being the host and playing in a home World Cup, more than our friends in the north, Canada, and our friends to south, Mexico. #9 Germany previously unranked FIFA Rank: 10 It’s still Germany. This isn’t the greatest German team, but Germany and Germans: they find a way in big moments to be big, and I think they’re going to be big here. #8 Morocco previously unranked FIFA Rank: 8 Morocco, everybody’s darling over the past couple of cycles. Men, women, all ages — there’s something in the water over there and I think that will continue. #7 Brazil previously unranked FIFA Rank: 5 I often times have been much more bullish about the Brazilian team than my "State of the Union" my co-host David Mosse, although he’s coming around a little as of late. #6 Portugal previously unranked FIFA Rank: 6 We’re keeping an eye on Cristiano Ronaldo and a possible injury; who knows if that plays into it. We’ve talked so much about the depth that Roberto Martinez has at his disposal with this Portugal team but also the dynamic that he has to deal with in Cristiano Ronaldo. #5 Englan...
