France leads global ranking ahead of quarter-final fixtures
France leads the 2026 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Cup ranking as the top-ranked team in the tournament.
Didier Deschamps’ men are heading into the quarterfinal against fifth-place Morocco in yet another World Cup knockout clash, with great expectations for Les Bleus.
France has won all their last five games thanks to an incredible team of numerous world-class players.
Two key players, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé, have impressed for France. Olise is leading the assist tally in the tournament, and Mbappe is joining Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
Reigning champions Argentina sit in second place and are determined to achieve another historic feat after their dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Egypt in the round of 16.
Despite being unbeaten in the tournament, Lionel Scaloni’s side has conceded seven goals in their last three fixtures, with only two narrow victories.
Argentina face seventh-place Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Sunday, following their victory against Colombia.
Spain’s third spot remains unchanged after knocking out Portugal in the last 16. The Spaniards face Belgium on Friday to seal a spot in the quarter-finals.
Belgium takes sixth spot on the rankings following their victory, thrashing co-hosts the U.S. 4-1 in the round of 16.
England are in fourth place, behind Norway, who are in eighth place on the rankings. The Three Lions face the Norwegians on Saturday in a tough match for both sides.
For England, it is a chance to break their losing streak against European nations in World Cup knockout matches, while Norway fights to advance past the last eight of the tournament for the first time in the country’s history.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
States
Kano architects demand strict enforcement of building regulations
Disturbed by recurring cases of building collapses, the Kano State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects has called for strict enforcement of building regulations.
States
Flooding: NEMA, KADSEMA search for missing persons in Kaduna River
NEMA and KADSEMA have launched a search-and-rescue operation for two persons swept away by floodwaters in the Kaduna River.
States
Police rescue 15 cows, one Katsina resident from bandits
The police command in Katsina says it has foiled kidnap and cattle rustling attempts in Funtua and Musawa council areas, rescuing one kidnap victim and recovering 15 rustled cows.
Agriculture
Farmers seek subsidised farm inputs to boost food production in Taraba
The farmers said the high cost and limited availability of fertilisers and other essential farm inputs had become major constraints as the rainy season commenced.
Politics
Kaduna: 12,000 people defect to APC in Lere LG
Twelve thousand members of opposition political parties have defected to the All Progressives Congress in the Lere council area of Kaduna.
Anti-Corruption
LS Cable & System USA agrees to pay $4 million to resolve PPP loan fraud allegations
LS Cable & System USA has agreed to pay $4 million to the United States to resolve allegations of false claims for payments under the Paycheck Protection Programme loans.
