Morocco FC is part of the 16-team field Sport journalists ranked after the round of 32 trimmed the World Cup from 32 teams to 16. The list is not a match report; it is a form check on who looked strongest when the tournament reached the last 16.
France sat at the top of that view because they had looked unbeatable so far, with Kylian Mbappe said to be on top form. That is the clearest sign that the ranking was built on performances alone, not reputation or past trophies.
France and Spain split the early read
Spain made the cut without a dominant opening statement. They had drawn 0-0 with Cape Verde in their opener, which left a very different impression from France even before the knockout stage settled the bracket.
That contrast is the point of the ranking. It treated each team as a live tournament case, then ordered them by what they had actually done in the World Cup rather than by name value. Under that lens, a scoreless opener could not carry the same weight as a team that had looked untouchable through the same stage.
Argentina, Brazil and England
Argentina were pushed hard before they got through. They had survived a huge scare against Cape Verde before winning 3-2 in the last 32, while Brazil were described as being guided by Carlo Ancelotti and with Vinicius Jr firing for them.
England also drew a strong review. They were described as looking explosive in attack and rock solid at the back, and Croatia were the opponents they had a favourable draw against. That sort of assessment tells a reader where the ranking separated control from survival.
Switzerland, Egypt and the United States
Switzerland brought a different kind of weight to the list. They beat Colombia, then won a first World Cup knockout match since 1938, which put their run into sharper focus than a simple win-loss record would.
Egypt’s place in the conversation turned on Mohamed Salah. They needed him to come to the party if they were to progress much further, while the United States were described as organised but lacking X-factor that could hurt them.
The ranking gives readers the same practical takeaway whether they care about Morocco FC or the rest of the bracket: the field has already been sorted once by results and again by judgment. The unresolved question now is which team Sport put first among the 16 remaining World Cup sides.
