Canada reached the last 16 at the 2026 World Cup after a 92nd-minute winner over South Africa in Los Angeles, and that result now sits inside the FIFA rankings re-sort after day 18. Canada became the first of the three co-hosts to advance, while 30 teams still had not played their first knockout-round match.
The win changed the shape of the rankings immediately. It also put Canada into the knockout stages before the rest of the co-host picture was settled, with On Monday set to bring a look at their next opponent when the Netherlands and Morocco played each other.
France stay top in FIFA rankings
France remained first in the rankings after winning all three of their group games. Ousmane Dembele scored a hat-trick against Norway’s B-team, but Didier Deschamps missed the game because of the death of his mother and was expected to return for the knockouts.
Michael Olise handled the No 10 role and had three assists and counting. The Athletic’s live projection tool gave France a 21 per cent chance of winning the World Cup, and Sweden awaited them in the round of 32.
Argentina, Spain and Brazil next
Argentina also won all three of their Group J matches. Lionel Messi entered the last 32 as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, and Argentina were set to play Cape Verde in the round of 32 before a possible round of 16 meeting with Australia or Egypt.
Spain split their first match with Morocco, then beat Saudi Arabia and Uruguay to top the group. They beat Saudi Arabia 4-0, Lamine Yamal returned to the starting XI against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, and Austria awaited them in the next round.
Brazil followed a similar path after drawing with Morocco, then beating Haiti 3-0 and Scotland 3-0. Matheus Cunha came in up front against Haiti, Vinicius Junior had four goals, and Neymar made a substitute appearance against Scotland.
Canada’s late finish left 17 teams eliminated when the rankings were reassessed, and it pushed one co-host into the last 16 before the rest of the bracket could catch up. For the teams still alive, the next round is now the line that matters.
