Lionel Messi and Argentina are finishing the World Cup on top.
La Albiceleste topped France 3-3 (4-2 penalties) in one of the best World Cup Finals in FIFA history, and they ended the power rankings in first place following the win.
Here's a look at how the final rankings turned out with the Qatar tournament in the books (nations 32-3 remain unchanged from the previous two editions):
32. Qatar (eliminated): It took two games for the host nation to be out of knockout stage contention, but it wasn’t exactly a surprising outcome. Qatar likely wouldn’t be at a World Cup if not for being the hosts, and its play against Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands showed it’s not at the required level to contend with the world’s best. (Last ranking: 32)
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31. Canada (eliminated): The CONCACAF champions were on the wrong end of the brutality of the World Cup. Canada couldn’t convert its bevy of chances in a 1-0 loss to Belgium and then let in four unanswered goals against Croatia to get eliminated prior to its loss to Morocco. The team is built on a solid foundation, but Les Rouges need more quality alongside Alphonso Davies. (Last ranking: 31)
30. Wales (eliminated): A 64-year drought ended in Wales not logging a single win in Qatar. The Red Dragons scored just once in the tournament, which was a penalty courtesy of Gareth Bale. Other than that, Wales were a tough team to watch as it couldn’t build-up play and create anything meaningful in attack under recently hired manager Rob Page. (Last ranking: 30)
29. Denmark (eliminated): What a terrible tournament for Denmark. The Danish Dynamite came into Qatar as darkhorses after a semifinal run in the 2020 UEFA Euros – held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – but left as one of the biggest disappointments after failing to get a win and more than one goal. It goes to show that you can have a solid goalkeeper, backline and midfield, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a proper striker. (Last ranking: 26)
28. Serbia (eliminated): Serbia was another darkhorse team that left Qatar without a win. This one was a little more surprising given the Eagles had plenty of quality all over the pitch and came into the tournament in great form, but they just couldn’t assemble a consistent game to grab all three points. That hurt them most in the 3-3 draw to Cameroon when they held a 3-1 lead, and they followed it up by losing a 2-1 lead to Switzerland before falling 3-2 to get eliminated. (Last ranking: 23)
27. Costa Rica (eliminated): Los Ticos’ Qatar journey will be mired with their 7-0 loss to Spain, but they at least got something out of the tournament. They upset Japan 1-0 with their lone shot on goal before giving Germany fits in a 4-2 thrilling loss. Costa Rica weren’t a great watch, but that deficit against Spain was always going to be too much to overcome. (Last ranking: 22)
26. Tunisia (eliminated): Tunisia had struggles scoring, but it also wasn't an easy side to score against. The Eagles of Carthage had a chance to advance in the finale against France if things went their way, and though they pulled off a 1-0 upset in a game where Les Bleus started their B-team, it wasn’t enough. (Last ranking: 29)
25. Mexico (eliminated): CONCACAF had a terrible showing in Qatar, easily the worst of any confederation. Mexico joins the list of disappointments after failing to score in its first two games before getting eliminated in the finale despite beating Saudi Arabia. It ended in Gerardo “Tata” Martino leaving his role as manager after yet another lackluster showing. (Last ranking: 28)
24. Uruguay (eliminated): La Celeste was another disappointing team that failed to score a goal in its first two games despite having a star-studded frontline that included Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani and Darwin Núñez. They got a win against Ghana in their finale, but it wasn’t enough to advance as Diego Alonso’s uninspiring tactics failed the squad. (Last ranking: 27)
23. Iran (eliminated): Iran nearly advanced to the round of 16 despite losing 6-2 to England in its opener. In the end, Carlos Queiroz’s side just didn’t have enough quality to get goals when it mattered in the finale against the U.S. despite having Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun up top. (Last ranking: 18)
22. Belgium (eliminated): The Red Devils have been trending downward for quite some time, and that came to bite them rather immediately in Qatar. They were fortunate to get a win against a Canadian side that was much better but couldn’t finish, lost 2-0 to Morocco and showed no signs of urgency against Croatia. Roberto Martínez also left the managerial role after Belgium’s shockingly awful outing after making it to the semifinals in 2018. (Last ranking: 17)
21. Cameroon (eliminated): It was always going to be difficult for Cameroon to emerge out of a tough Group G, but it nearly did. The Indomitable Lions displayed a great fight to comeback against Serbia to get a draw after losing to Switzerland in their opener, and stunned Brazil’s B-team in the finale with a late goal to claim a win. (Last ranking: 25)
20. Saudi Arabia (eliminated): The Green Falcons shocked the world when they upset Argentina 2-1 in their Group C opener, but it failed to capitalize on that momentum in the last two games. They weren’t clinical enough against Poland and saw their high line get exposed and they were way out of shape against Mexico in a must-win game. Still, manager Hervé Renard had a tournament to be proud of. (Last ranking: 11)
19. Ghana (eliminated): The Black Stars went into their finale needing just a win or draw, but their mentality might have come into question with Suárez and Uruguay on the other side after their 2010 debacle. Ghana ended up losing 2-0 but had the quality to advance to at least the round of 16 based on its games against Portugal and South Korea. (Last ranking: 9)
18. Ecuador (eliminated): Just like Ghana, Ecuador was in prime position to advance with either a win or draw against Senegal, but just didn’t have enough quality in front of goal apart from Enner Valencia to advance. La Tri definitely have a promising future with their young talent coming up the ranks, especially if they can find an understudy to the 33-year-old Valencia. (Last ranking: 6)
17. Germany (eliminated): Hansi Flick’s tactics suffered from the brutality of the World Cup. He tried to instill a long-term style of play in a short-term tournament where one slip up could end a team’s run – and that just so happened to hit Germany. The DFB had the quality to at least make the quarterfinals, but they’re the best team to not make the round of 16. (Last ranking: 15)
16. Switzerland (eliminated): Ballstriking is the greatest neutralizer in the sport. Any player with the ability to strike through a ball cleanly with power can make tactics seem almost meaningless. The Swiss experienced this first-hand when Goncalo Ramos drilled the top of the net on the near post with his weak foot to give Portugal a 1-0 lead. They looked shocked from there and never recovered, losing 6-1. (Last ranking: 8)
15. Senegal (eliminated): The Lions of Teranga should’ve taken the lead twice over England, but they didn’t and got punished for it. It was still a valiant effort from the nation that didn’t have Sadio Mané, its marquee player. (Last ranking: 12)
14. South Korea (eliminated): Brazil’s attack proved to be too overwhelming for the Taegeuk Warriors, who trailed 4-0 at the half. It could’ve been worse had Brazil kept its foot on the accelerator, but it slowed things down, subbed off its best players and South Korea pulled one back as a consolation prize. (Last ranking: 14)
13. Poland (eliminated): Poland hung in with France much better than expected compared to its struggles against Argentina, but Mbappé’s heroics completely changed the tide of the game. If that was Robert Lewandowski’s last ever World Cup goal, it was a heck of a run. (Last ranking: 15)
12. Japan (eliminated): Sooner or later, Japan’s playstyle of sitting deep without the ball and making speedy runs in transition was going to catch up to them. Croatia didn’t exactly dominate the game, but the Samurai Blue couldn’t get out of their own half for good spells of the second half, and ultimately lost the game on penalties. It was a heroic effort nonetheless. (Last ranking: 9)
11. Australia (eliminated): The Socceroos gave Argentina a great fight despite the massive talent disparity between the two, and nearly sent the game to extra time in the final minutes. However, their lack of pure scorers up front came back to bite them, regardless of their solidarity and sturdiness defensively.
10. USA (eliminated): No change for the U.S. Defensive mistakes at the worst possible time cost them a potential Cinderella run in Qatar, with the lack of a clinical No. 9 also playing a factor. The best days for this young team are still ahead of them. (Last ranking: 10)
9. Spain (eliminated): How quickly things can change. Spain had no problem burying goals against Costa Rica, but its shortage of consistent goalscorers revealed itself in the final three games, and La Furia Roja ultimately fell in the biggest knockout stage upset of 2022 thus far. Luis Enrique is a tremendous manager, but his long-term habitual style of play isn’t always equipped to succeed in short-term tournaments. (Last ranking: 7)
8. Portugal (eliminated): Portugal became the next victim of Morocco’s stunning World Cup run. The Portuguese may have controlled the play, but they couldn’t create too many meaningful chances out of it and Morocco’s low block remained shrewd, despite its best two center backs dealing with injury issues. Cristiano Ronaldo could not affect the outcome after coming off the bench in the 50th minute. (Last ranking: 4)
7. Netherlands (eliminated): The Oranje gave Argentina fits and surprisingly controlled the midfield battle much better than it did in previous tournament games, but they succumbed to Lionel Messi’s brilliance. They brought on tall players to grab two stunning late goals, but it wasn’t enough to win in a penalty shootout. (Last ranking: 7)
6. England (eliminated): One of the two most balanced teams on paper have been knocked out. The Three Lions created the chances and plays necessary to top France, but they just couldn’t find the finishing touch when it mattered, most notably on Harry Kane’s second penalty attempt that sailed over despite a strong first make. It won’t be coming home despite having a great squad and depth. (Last ranking: 2)
5. Brazil (eliminated): The other most-balanced team does not reign on top any longer. Brazil had 11 shots on target but conceded on Croatia’s lone opportunity that deflected in. Eventually, Brazil couldn’t keep up in a penalty shootout and were bounced despite its wealth of attacking talent backed by defensive solidity that rarely conceded shots throughout the tournament. That’s the nature of knockout football. (Last ranking: 1)
3. Morocco (eliminated): What an absolute sensational story Morocco was. The Atlas Lions did not lose to Croatia, Belgium, Spain or Portugal in the quadrennial tournament until falling to France in the semifinals. They only conceded an own goal leading up to the contest against Les Bleus until they cracked in the fifth minute, which ultimately proved to be their demise. (Last ranking: 3)
4. Croatia (eliminated): The Vatreni fell one step short of reaching the World Cup Final for a second straight time. It was their inability to score enough goals that cost them in the end. Once Argentina got ahead 2-0 in a five-minute span in the first half, it just didn't seem likely for Croatia to embark on a comeback. Still, it was a heroic effort to make it as far as it did in consecutive tournaments despite having a population of just four million. (Last ranking: 4)
2. France: Kylian Mbappe's eight-goal, two-assist tournament wasn't enough to guide Les Bleus to the World Cup title for the second straight time. France still deserves a ton of plaudits for making it as far as it did despite the bevy of injuries the squad facing before and during the tournament, and the team fell just one penalty shootout short of making history. France should be back in strong form in 2026. (Last ranking: 1)
1. Argentina: It was far from easy, but La Albiceleste, led by Messi, finally achieved the dream. Argentina escaped losing another 2-0 lead with Messi's heroics saving the day, and it resulted in the nation's third ever World Cup title. This will be one to remember in football lore. (Last ranking: 2)
