World Cup Power Rankings after group stage: France...
Key takeaways
- The action has been breathless and brilliant.
- So with the group stage complete and the 48-team field whittled down to 32, how does the field look?
- As we did at several points before and during the World Cup -- from 100 days out to after Games 1 and 2 -- we're looking at how our global reporters feel about the tournament from a contenders vs.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
The action has been breathless and brilliant. The game's superstars have played well and truly shown up -- Lionel Messi has six goals, with Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior and Erling Haaland hot on his heels at four each -- though only Mexico, France and Argentina went a perfect 3-for-3 in the group stage when it came to results.
We've had upsets galore, with South Africa finishing second in Group A after beating South Korea, tiny Cape Verde finishing second in Group H with three draws that were very different in nature -- remember the name Vozinha -- and advancing to the knockouts in their World Cup debut, along with Congo DR emerging as one of the eight-best third-placed teams to book a date with England in the next round.
So with the group stage complete and the 48-team field whittled down to 32, how does the field look?