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Spain’s dominant win over Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final was all she wrote for the biggest tournament in international soccer history. As La Roja climbed the steps to dethrone La Albiceleste, the final standings were confirmed. Among several finishes that defied the odds heading into the World Cup, the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) finished ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, who were considered championship contenders by many.
Both the USMNT and Portugal suffered heartbreaking defeats in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. In fact, had they both won those games, they would’ve faced off in the quarterfinals. They didn’t, and that’s why Belgium and Spain competed for a spot in the semifinals.
Although the Stars and Stripes and the Lusos fell in the same round of the knockout stage, the Americans hold the edge thanks to FIFA’s criteria to determine positioning between teams that exited the tournament in the same stage.
Thus, the USA ranks ahead of Portugal in the 2026 World Cup final standings. The USMNT finished as the 12th-best team in the world, while Ronaldo and Portugal came in an unlucky 13th.
FIFA’s criteria
“For the teams which exited the competition at the same stage, their position is decided by the following criteria: Total number of points from matches across all stages (matches which go to a penalty shootout count as draws), goal difference from matches across all stages, number of goals scored from matches across all stages. If two or more teams are still tied after applying the above criteria they share the same final rank,” FIFA’s official statement on the final standings read.
2026 World Cup final standings: Top 20
Only the first four places in the standings are decided by a direct matchup, thanks to the final and third-place game at the 2026 World Cup. The rest of the teams’ positions are determined by the round in which they were eliminated and how they fared across all games in the group and knockout stage.
The top four of the 2026 World Cup are virtually self-explanatory. Spain finished first, Argentina second, England third, and France fourth. In fifth place, the rowing Vikings emerged from the fog, as Erling Haaland’s Norway reached the quarterfinals and finished with 12 points across all their games.
Belgium (11 points) finished in sixth place, while Morocco and Switzerland tied for seventh after finishing level on all tiebreakers. Mexico and Colombia rounded out the top 10 in ninth and 10th, respectively.
Brazil finished 11th, the USA 12th, and Portugal 13th. Canada finished last among the co-hosts in 14th. From 15th to 20th, the countries are ranked as follows: Egypt, Paraguay, the Netherlands, Germany, Ivory Coast, and Croatia.
The worst team in 2026 World Cup
Iraq was the worst team at the 2026 World Cup. One could say the Lions of Mesopotamia were the worst by a landslide, but Tunisia did put up a fight in that debate.
Iraq lost all three group-stage games, scored only one goal, and conceded 12, finishing with a whopping -11 goal difference. The Eagles of Carthage, on the other hand, finished just ahead of them in 47th place thanks to their -10 goal difference. Tunisia also scored one more goal than Iraq.
Uzbekistan rounded out the bottom three, as they failed to earn a single point as well, but finished with a -9 goal difference.
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