Assessing FIFA World Cup's best after two matchdays - Kylian Mbappe's France, Lionel Messi's Argentina, England, Spain and Portugal ranked
Published 24/06/2026 at 12:00 GMT+1
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Every team at the 2026 World Cup has now played two games, so it seems like a perfect time for us to look through some of the potential contenders to win the title - and assess how they have looked so far in North America.
'I always get there' - Ronaldo faces down criticism after record-breaking brace
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We've split the teams up into four categories - as advertised, pleasant surprises, clicking into gear and time to panic?
The first and last sections should be pretty self-explanatory, so we'll briefly run through the middle two sections.
Pleasant surprises are teams that we expected to do fine, but perhaps no more than that, and at this point in time, they are exceeding expectations.
Clicking into gear covers teams who we expect to do well, but maybe started slowly and are now getting into their top gear - and starting to look good.
With that explained, let's dive into it after two matchdays of the World Cup.
We don't know what to do with you
England
Okay, yes, we lied. There is a fifth section, and it is entirely for England. Thomas Tuchel's side are the only "big team" to look great in their opener, but then fall flat in their second game.
Ivory Coast are maybe the only team that had a similar situation, but they didn't come into this tournament with the same level of expectations as England did.
So, this isn't necessarily to say that we are worried about England, because as England fans know all too well, we have seen this before from them at major tournaments.
However, what it does mean is that we don't really know where to put them. It's certainly not time to panic, but nor are they clicking into gear. They certainly aren't a pleasant surprise either.
In many ways, they are actually best placed in the "as advertised" category, as it is extremely England-y to look great for one game, then fall apart in the next and seem bereft of ideas.
However, because of the unique pattern of their two games, we're putting them in their own category, namely that we still can't tell if it's actually a "New England" - or whether it's really just the "Same Old England".
As advertised
Argentina
Argentina have two wins out of two with five goals scored and zero goals conceded. It's hard for it to get much better than that.
Especially when the icing on top of the cake - or dulce de leche, if you prefer - has been the incredible form of Lionel Messi, who would almost certainly win the Golden Ball if the tournament ended tomorrow after becoming the all-time record scorer at World Cups.
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'A lot of happiness' - Messi reacts after breaking World Cup goalscoring record
Video credit: SNTV
With Messi playing like he is, Argentina will be a tough out for anyone, but there will be a degree of concern regarding the performance of the rest of the attack.
Be it Thiago Almada, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, Nico Gonzalez or Nico Paz, none of Argentina's other attackers have really fired at all. That's not a major issue in the group stage, but it will become a real problem as the tournament goes on.
At least one of them has to step up.
France
Kylian Mbappe may be over a decade younger than Messi, but - quite preposterously - he is only two World Cup goals behind the great Argentine.
France have not consistently been at their fluent best, but there's a pretty good argument to be made that in those periods where they play to their full potential, they're the best team on the planet.
The key to France will be to ensure that their two full-backs don't get exposed with the way their forwards attack, while also making sure that Michael Olise is on the ball as much as possible...
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'I've always placed that above everything else' - Mbappe makes history
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Pleasant surprises
USA
There is perhaps no team who has done more to enhance their reputation in their first two matches than one of the hosts, the USA.
They dismantled Paraguay in their opener, and then put together an extremely professional performance to see off Australia, who themselves had had a bright start by beating Turkiye.
Can Mauricio Pochettino's side actually win it? That feels like it might be a step too far, but this team is a key part of why locals in America are really engaged in this World Cup, and they will fancy themselves against anyone.
Norway
The question before the tournament was whether Norway could put together a strong enough team around Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, and the initial results are encouraging.
Yes, there was a scare or two early on against Iraq - and their opponents have worked hard at times to gift them goals - but the performance to see off Senegal was a huge statement in a tricky group.
We will know far more about the Norwegians after Friday's blockbuster clash with France, but they are currently justifying their pre-tournament status as dark horses.
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'It's my speciality to score goals' - Haaland
Video credit: SNTV
Japan and Netherlands
We're combining the two teams sitting at the top of Group F. Both were popular dark horse picks, and, like Norway, we've been really impressed by how both have played.
Their match against each other on the first matchday remains one of the games of the tournament thus far, and they followed it up by easily swatting aside the other two teams in the group in the second round.
Now, all eyes will be on the final matchday to see who finishes top or if one of them slips up. The top two teams in this group will be linked to Group C (more on them later), so the final position in Group F may not end up mattering.
The real question will be how these two teams cope as they go into the knockouts.
Germany
Germany easily beat Curacao in their opener before showing real grit by coming from a goal down to beat the Ivory Coast 2-1 in their second match.
When it clicks for Germany, you can see why they could go far, but it still feels fair to be wary of Julian Nagelsmann overthinking things.
His treatment of Deniz Undav is perhaps the best example of this. The Stuttgart forward has scored three times with two assists, yet still isn't assured a starting spot. Can Nagelsmann afford to leave Undav on the bench in the bigger matches?
Colombia
Many people expected Colombia to come out of Group K, but they now have a pretty good chance of winning it, only needing a draw against Portugal in their final game of the group stage.
Colombia did what Portugal couldn't in beating an impressive DR Congo team, and they had few issues handling Uzbekistan, albeit they didn't get the big win against the latter that the Portuguese did.
Beating DR Congo is an admirable result, but, ultimately, how we feel about Colombia going into the knockouts will be determined entirely by how they go against Portugal. If they win this, suddenly people will have to take this Colombia team very seriously.
Clicking into gear
Spain
Spain being held to a 0-0 draw by Cabo Verde in the first game of that group remains the shock of the tournament thus far, but the European Champions got back on track with a comfortable 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
Having Lamine Yamal start, in combination with manager Luis de la Fuente moving Pedri back to his preferred deeper role in midfield, has made a world of difference, and in Mikel Oyarazabal, it could be said that Spain have the tournament's most underrated player.
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'He looks after himself' - Olmo praises Spain starlet Yamal after first World Cup goal
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We expect Spain to beat a confusing Uruguay team in the final group stage, and continue improving as the tournament goes on.
Egypt
Egypt are riding high after Mohamed Salah and the team helped deliver the country's first-ever World Cup win as they beat New Zealand 3-1.
Now the Egyptians have to believe that they can top the group, which would give them a third-place team in the first round of the knockouts.
The biggest question for Egypt is whether they will be able to keep Salah in the game against a team that is better than Belgium or New Zealand.
The former Liverpool forward can still prove decisive at the highest level, but he simply doesn't have the legs at this point in his career, and Egypt don't necessarily have the supporting cast compared to some of the best teams at the tournament.
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Salah celebrates in streets of Vancouver after Egypt's historic win against New Zealand
Video credit: TNT Sports
Mexico
It felt impossible to place another co-host, Mexico, on this list. Mexico were expected to win their group, but not do much more in this tournament, so is two wins out of two a "pleasant surprise"?
We have said "no", and put them into "clicking into gear", as the win over South Korea was genuinely impressive, despite this South Korea team being a tad disappointing, but given that the South Africa win in the first game of the tournament was a bit all over the place.
Mexico will always be tough to beat when Javier Aguirre is the manager, we know this. Plus, the home support can be a real difference-maker. But what is their path to beating a top-10 team at this World Cup?
Right now, we still cannot see it.
Portugal
It won't surprise you to learn that, before the Uzbekistan game, Portugal were firmly in the final category, but we have to move them up based on what we saw in that 5-0 win.
It seems fair to still have some real concerns about how this team can actually break down a better side - and we will learn a lot in the final game against Colombia - but you have to give credit where credit's due. Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Portugal team as a whole, have answered their critics - for now.
Ultimately, there isn't a lot more to say. Portugal always felt like a team who would have games where they completely blew teams away, but there are still concerns about their true ceiling, for numerous reasons.
Morocco
Morocco and the next team we're going to talk about in the following section, Brazil, are level on points in Group C, but despite the 2022 semi-finalists currently trailing on goal difference, we still feel far better about them.
Morocco were undeniably the better team in their 1-1 draw against the Brazilians, and they did well to shut down a feisty Scotland team who could cause the South American giants problems on Matchday 3.
The problems for Morocco are obvious, it still isn't clear who is scoring the goals for them consistently. They will be well-organised and tough to beat - and teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi will be one of the revelations of the tournament when all is said and done - but can their attack scare the best teams?
Panic time?
Brazil
Right, so now let's talk about Brazil. The 3-0 win over Haiti was a formality of a test that they passed, but things were extremely disorganised against Morocco and did not inspire confidence.
Vinicius Junior clearly loves playing for manager Carlo Ancelotti, but you can see that this team is missing players like Joao Pedro, Estevao and Rodrygo when they go forward. Can Neymar's return inspire a change? You never want to bet against him when wearing a Brazil shirt, but surely that's too tall of an order?
Scotland are a team that Brazil should beat, but they are also no joke and will punish Ancelotti's side if they don't turn up. Brazil should still make it through to the next round, but right now, why would any team be afraid of facing them in this current state?
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Clarke ready to face 'dangerous, iconic' Neymar should Brazil attacker feature
Video credit: SNTV
Senegal
Senegal are in a tough spot right now with two losses from two, albeit in the tournament's toughest group.
They will still feel confident of beating Iraq in their final game, and doing enough to go through as one of the third place teams, but there are real problems here.
Namely, is Pape Thiaw brave enough to make big calls with his team selection? Mamadou Sarr and Ibrahim Mbaye are just two players who are making a case for starting over the incumbents and if Thiaw cannot drop some of the veterans who are showing their age, then this tournament could be over extremely quickly for Senegal.
Belgium
Realistically, Belgium were not expected to challenge for the World Cup, and they probably weren't even considered favourites to win their group, but things have still been disappointing for The Red Devils.
They have had to rely on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois far more than they would like, and they look thoroughly uninspiring when they go forward (despite the heroics of Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand).
This is unquestionably a transition tournament for Belgium, but the fact that they are still relying on the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, and haven't seen one of the youngsters truly stand up and announce themselves, has to be a concern.
Ecuador
Were Ecuador the most popular dark horse pick before the tournament started? That honour probably still goes to Japan, but Ecuador were at least a very close second, and you could see why, given they had finished second in South American qualifying with a huge impressive defensive record.
However, there were real concerns about the fact that they were relying on a 36-year-old Enner Valencia to score their goals, and thus it has come to pass, with Ecuador failing to score in either of their group games thus far.
They are still in with a chance of qualifying for the knockouts (albeit they need to get a result against group leaders Germany in their final game), but if they make it there, they will go there knowing teams have a clear blueprint to shut them down.
And what is perhaps even more worrying, is that they don't seem to have a clear plan to adapt.
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