World Cup 2018 Power Rankings: Updated After Every Team's 3rd Game

The 2018 World Cup group stage has been completed. It's been a wild two weeks, but now is your chance to breathe.

Half the field (16 nations) have been eliminated, leaving the other half to battle it out in a knockout format. It's win-or-go-home from here. Strap in. Grab the popcorn.

As always, the nations are ranked on the likelihood they'll lift the World Cup. Strength of performance through this stage is a natural indicator of this, though there's still a little room for general ability, clout and, importantly, which side of the round-of-16 bracket they've landed on. 

One side is softer than the other—you can see that here.

The 16 eliminated sides, who can no longer win the World Cup, are ranked in order of how well they played and how heavily they impressed.

You can view the post-Round 2 rankings here.

32. Panama (-1)

There was no maiden victory for Panama in their first-ever World Cup finals, but they have two goals to celebrate. One came against England, courtesy of Felipe Baloy, and another came against Tunisia in the form of a Yassine Meriah own goal. That'll do a nation simply proud to be there just fine.

31. Egypt (-2)

A disastrous World Cup campaign for Egypt has, mercilessly, drawn to a close. That they lost their final fixture with the last kick of the game against Saudi Arabia summed up a regrettable stay in Russia. They finished with zero points and zero good displays to speak of.

30. Costa Rica (-3)

Kendall Watson's headed strike against Switzerland on Wednesday completed the set. All 32 teams at this World Cup scored at least once during their time in Russia. That goal, plus a late penalty that went in off Yann Sommer's back, scooped up a parting point for Los Ticos, too.

29. Saudi Arabia (+3)

A 94th-minute goal from Salem Al-Dawsari secured Saudi Arabia a comfort victory over Egypt in Russia. Technically it meant nothing, given they'd already been relegated, but try telling that to the fans who celebrated as if they'd won the entire tournament.

28. Tunisia (+2)

Tunisia had to come from behind to beat Panama in the final group game, and in doing so they avoided a disastrous end to a poor tournament overall. They lacked tactical discipline from the off and were never going to be able to compete with England and Belgium in the manner they played.

27. Iceland (-4)

It was always too big an ask for Iceland to progress through a tough Group D, but they depart having acquitted themselves well. The Nigeria game was a disaster, but the fans will remember stealing a point off Argentina and saving a Lionel Messi penalty for a long, long time.

26. Poland (+2)

Jan Bednarek gave his nation something to smile about when he tucked home a winner against Japan in the final game, though it won't stop people from muttering about just how badly Poland seemed to underachieve in Russia.  

25. Australia (-3)

Like many of the weaker nations at these finals, Australia fell short in the goalscoring department. Their defensive play was good, and their midfield pretty solid, but they struggled to create good chances and failed to net a goal that wasn't from the spot.

24. Morocco (+2)

Morocco looked like a possible World Cup dark horse before the tournament. Their first two matches made that call look a little silly, but their third match...that's the sort of showing that was expected.

They fought valiantly against Spain, matching them across the pitch and taking the lead twice while playing some stellar stuff. It was a fitting end for many a neutral's favourite.

23. Germany (-12)

The holders curse has claimed another victim. Germany, World Cup winners in 2014, were eliminated at the group stage in 2018 after losing to South Korea in their third game.

If one holds them against their own lofty standards, they were atrocious in almost every area. Defensively, they struggled to function, leaving massive gaps, and offensively, they didn't click. According Opta's David Wall, they held a lead at this tournament for total of two minutes and 29 seconds.

22. Nigeria (-5)

Nigeria can be extremely proud of their efforts in this World Cup; a young core, including Wilfred Ndidi, 21, and Oghenekaro Etebo, 22, in midfield, impressed greatly despite falling at the group stage.

But that reflection will likely come later. For now, it'll be difficult to forget a big chance missed against Argentina!

21. Peru (+4)

Adios, Peru. You were great, great fun.

They're a team who can only play at one speed—full throttle—and delighted neutrals in doing so. Even with nothing on the line against Australia in their final group game, they put on a show. 

It's nations such as these that sometimes make the group stage more fun than the knockouts.

20. South Korea (+4)

The defensive performance South Korea conjured in their final game, against Germany, was the best we've seen from any team in this tournament. They put their bodies on the line and made spectacular blocks and great saves.

Eventually, after 90 minutes of squandering great positions, they tallied that defensive effort up with a counter-attacking threat, netting twice and sinking Germany in the most spectacular of fashions. It meant little in the grand scheme of things, but if you're going to go out, this is the way you do it! 

19. Iran (+1)

Iran produced 270 minutes of football few thought them capable of. Four points earned in a group containing Spain, Portugal and Morocco is a brilliant effort.

They exit with their heads held high and perhaps even with a sense of "what if?"—they were mighty unfortunate in their loss to Spain and troubled Portugal all the way to the final whistle.

18. Serbia (Stay)

It was do-or-die for Serbia in their final game, and they came up short. No one will hold that against them—they gave it a good go but were outdone by a superior Brazil side—but it will make that last-gasp loss to Switzerland in the match before hurt even more.

That Xherdan Shaqiri strike, really, was the action that sent Mladen Krstajic's men home.

17. Senegal (-1)

To go out on the fair-play rule can't be easy. Senegal delighted us during these finals with a rich combination of tactical discipline and attacking prowess but were undone by a set piece against Colombia...and then their own aggression in comparison to Japan.

16. Japan (-1)

We now move into the sides qualified for the knockout phase, with Japan the lowest-ranked of the lot.

They squeezed into the last 16 on the fair-play rule, having benched six usual starters for their final game. That resulted in their losing to Poland, surrendering top spot in the group, landing in the tough half of the draw and drawing Belgium next.

They feel the least likely of the sides left to win the World Cup.

15. Russia (-5)

Was Russia's 3-0 loss to Uruguay an eye-opener? An indicator of where their limitations are?

It might be harsh to think so; Russia were heavily rotated—creative spark Aleksandr Golovin and their first-choice full-backs were absent from the start—and the red card killed the game early. Perhaps some perspective should hold.

But in losing that game, they lost their grip on top spot in Group A, and the punishment for that is a contest with Spain in the round of 16 and then likely Croatia in quarter-finals if they can pass that test. Few will back them to leap the first hurdle, let alone the second.

14. Denmark (Stay)

Mission accomplished: Knockout berth secured. Age Hareide's men didn't exert themselves in their final group game against France—they simply didn't need to—as the first goalless draw of the tournament paved their way to a spot in the last 16.

But as defensively stout as the Danes seem, they'll need to pick things up in attack if they want to beat Croatia and see this journey continue. 

13. Argentina (+8)

By the skin of their teeth.

When Argentina needed a hero, one stepped forward. It wasn't one of the usual suspects—not the freshly subbed on Sergio Aguero, not even Lionel Messi!—but Marcos Rojo. A spectacular volley on his wrong foot saved La Albiceleste and propelled them into the round of 16.

We saw steady improvements in the first half against Nigeria, but Jorge Sampaoli's men collapsed inward in the second once the pressure ramped up. If that happens against France, they're out.

12. Sweden (+7)

Sweden scored three in a single game. Hands up, who saw that coming? Exactly. No one.

It was partially a case of Mexico collapsing in the second half, but you can't take all the credit away from the boys in yellow and blue. With a soft round-of-16 draw in the bag (Switzerland), there's a genuine chance this side makes it to the last eight.

11. Switzerland (+1)

That Switzerland failed to beat Costa Rica in the final group game doesn't tell us much. They merely needed to avoid defeat to progress to the knockouts and played a far less intense game than they did against Brazil or Serbia.

They've drawn Sweden in the round of 16 and will be slight favourites for the tie.

On Wednesday, Mexico came pretty close to blowing one of the most comfortable positions you can be in at a World Cup finals.

Heading into the final round of fixtures on six points, all they had to do was not be beaten heavily by Sweden, who usually struggle to score goals. Somehow they managed to do exactly that, collapsing in on themselves in the second half and surrendering top spot. They ended up thanking the stars that South Korea beat Germany.

What happened? Did they take their foot off the gas? Relax a little too much? Their team was practically full strength; they can't use rotation as an excuse. Perhaps that was the problem; a significant number of other sides on six points rang the changes.

Heading into the round of 16 off a big loss and set to face Brazil, Mexico's chances of winning the World Cup have been heavily, heavily revised.

Portugal were a missed Cristiano Ronaldo penalty away from the soft side of the draw and a round-of-16 game against Russia. How fine the margins can be.

Qualifying in second place instead means they must face a Uruguay side yet to concede a goal. That's going to be one tough nut to crack, one this Selecao side may not be up to.

Many of Fernando Santos' players are struggling for form, with only Rui Patricio, William Carvalho and Ronaldo showing what they're capable of so far. That needs to change if they're to progress any further.

Colombia pulled a rabbit out of the hat. How they've gotten to this point is almost beyond belief!

They lost their first game in a blaze of ridiculousness, imploding early on with a red card and losing to what many perceived to be the weakest side in the group.

They recovered from that with a big win over Poland but were then dominated in the first half of a do-or-die match with Senegal on Thursday. James Rodriguez limped off injured, Radamel Falcao was isolated and things looked bleak.

But resilience got them part of the way, and then a Yerry Mina header won the game. They've snatched six points from somewhere...and they've landed in the weaker side of the draw!

England's 1-0 loss to Belgium confirmed second place in Group G. Social media has been fiercely debating whether that's a good or bad thing.

Usually it's better to win your group, but the way the draw has stacked up, England have landed in the kinder side. Colombia in the round of 16 is a harder game than Japan, but the prospect of Switzerland or Sweden in quarter-finals is positively mouth-watering for most.

The performance itself was pretty strange; far from the well-oiled machine England have often looked under Gareth Southgate, the stand-in XI stuttered and struggled to get going. Southgate will hope the team's momentum hasn't been culled permanently.

Group C winners with seven points, just one goal conceded and Argentina in the round of 16. At surface level, France's World Cup is going rather well.

But as has been the case for several months now, there's an undercurrent of discontent weaving its way through the team, media and fans. They've yet to play well for more than a 20-minute period, and with the quality at Didier Deschamps' disposal, that's irritating for a fair few.

If you're still backing France to win this tournament, you're essentially gambling that they "figure it out" when required.

Played three, won three, zero conceded. How incredibly Uruguay is that?

They were helped on their way to top spot in Group A by an early Russia red card in the final game, though they were already two goals to the good by that point. The second half became a stroll and perhaps a personal mission for Edinson Cavani to get himself off the mark.

This result teaches us far more about Russia's limitations than it does Uruguay's strength. La Celeste are still a little bit difficult to measure.

Thursday saw Belgium's reserves best England's reserves to claim top spot in Group G. It didn't tell us much other than the fact that the Red Devils have serious depth and that they can slot together pretty seamlessly when required.

They won the game despite Roberto Martinez's pre-match claim that "the priority is not to win," per the Guardian, and have put themselves into the tougher bracket. Perhaps that's exactly what they wanted to do, though, as they'll take on the best and attempt to prove to everyone they're the real deal.

Brazil are growing into this tournament. That second half against Costa Rica was very promising, and their 2-0 win over Serbia on Wednesday was even more so. Other teams should be very wary.

So much was expected of Neymar this summer, and while he is slowly improving and finding his groove, it's been Philippe Coutinho who has dragged The Selecao through so far. He scored key goals against Switzerland and Costa Rica and delivered a key assist against Serbia.

Casemiro, Thiago Silva and Miranda have had excellent tournaments too. They're just waiting on Gabriel Jesus to spark into life in attack.

Spain came up against the Morocco side we thought we might see in the first two games: quick-witted and clever, but with a finishing touch to match.

It made for a tough game, one that Iago Aspas did well to salvage a point from with a heroic back-heel finish in the 91st minute. That flick of the foot propelled La Furia Roja to the top of Group B and into the weaker half of the knockout bracket.

That's crucial and is partially why Spain are ranked so highly. They've yet to fire on all cylinders, but their path to the quarter-final—they take on Russia in the round of 16—at least looks clear.

Croatia were one of only three sides to secure nine points in the group stage. They've combined star quality with an ability to procure results to fantastic effect. It's led them to the soft side of the knockout bracket and rewarded them with a nice round-of-16 tie against Denmark. 

Even a heavily rotated selection, including the likes of Duje Caleta-Car and Josip Pivaric, were able to see off an Iceland side still playing for qualification, and Zlatko Dalic was able to give Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic just the right number of minutes to keep them ticking over.

Never in their history have they won three successive World Cup games. Next, in Dalic's own words, per the Press Association (via the Daily Mail), comes the "moment of truth" as the tough examinations begin.

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