From one to 48 - all World Cup teams ranked after the first match

Argentina began the defense of their World Cup title with a convincing victory but are not the best team in the tournament at the moment, according to BBC Sport experts. We assembled a small team of journalists who, in total, watched all the opening matches of the teams. They ranked all 48 teams in the tournament, from first to last. Do you agree with their decisions? Leave your comments below.

1-10

1. France (Group I). Victory over Senegal 3-1. Lived up to pre-tournament expectations with a strong performance in the second half. Strength in every position. Deserved favorites.
2. England (Group L). Victory over Croatia 4-2. They scored four. We could do more. Great attacking play led by Harry Kane. Minor concerns on defense.
3. Argentina (Group G). Victory over Algeria 3-0. They have Lionel Messi and a team inspired by his presence and genius. This is enough to be in the top three.
4. Germany (Group E). Win over Curacao 7-1. Any team that scores seven in the first match cannot be ignored, despite the (lack of) quality of the opposition.
5. USA (Group D). Victory over Paraguay 4-1. A surprising inclusion in the top five. Defeated Paraguay with smooth play and support from the home crowd.
6. Norway (Group I). Victory over Iraq 4-1. A team built around Erling Haaland and determined to play to his strengths.
7. Colombia (Group K). Victory over Uzbekistan 3-1. Powerful, fast and with a spark of stardom in the face of Luis Diaz.Colombia will threaten many teams.
8. Morocco (Group C). Draw 1-1 with Brazil. It seemed that they could defeat Brazil in the first 20 minutes. Then they seemed to decide to draw the game in the second half. There is still a reserve.
9. Brazil (Group C). Draw 1-1 with Morocco. The shaky start left questions about whether this is the Brazil of yesteryear. But their experienced team refused to lose.
10. Sweden (Group F). Victory over Tunisia 5-1. They have two of the most dangerous strikers in the Premier League and a midfield that can score.

11-20
11. Australia (Group D). Victory over Turkey 2-0. The fast play allowed them to easily beat Turkey, who on paper were strong favorites before the match.
12. Spain (Group H). Draw 0-0 with Cape Verde. The shock of the tournament at the moment. But we created enough opportunities to win the match several times. They will still go far.
13. Netherlands (Group F). Draw 2-2 with Japan. Should have killed the game against Japan. They would have been higher if not for the problems in defense.
14. Mexico (Group A). Win over South Africa 2-0. They looked head and shoulders above, although South Africa were clearly weak. Cesar Montes' late red card was a blow.
15. Japan (Group F). Draw 2-2 with the Netherlands. An impressive fight to snatch a draw from under the nose of defeat. But we expected more ambition from the permanent dark horses.
16. Scotland (Group C). Victory over Haiti 1-0. Good result. Bad game. But maybe that's what 28 years of pressure does.
17.Cape Verde (Group H). Draw 0-0 with Spain. Now every second team is at the World Championships. An amazing package thanks to the inspired play of veteran goalkeeper Wozinia.
18. Belgium (Group G). Draw 1-1 with Egypt. An own goal was needed to level with a strong Egyptian team. They created good chances and their toughest match in the group is now behind them.
19. Egypt (Group G). Draw 1-1 with Belgium. They were close to their first World Cup victory. Emam Ashour's goal was good, but they created few opportunities.
20. Senegal (Group I). Lost 1-3 to France. There is no shame in losing to France. They didn't concede until the 66th minute and could have even taken the lead if Nicola Jackson hadn't hit the post in the first half.


21-30
21. Portugal (Group K). Draw 1-1 with DR Congo. They still have Cristiano Ronaldo. And a team that is burdened by his desire to be at the center of everything.
22. Croatia (Group L). Lost 2-4 to England. We scored two great goals against strong England. But they played poor defense and were too dependent on aging stars.
23. DR Congo (Group K). Draw 1-1 with Portugal. We surprised Portugal with a fantastic, organized defense. And they looked threatening on the counterattack.
24. Switzerland (Group B). Draw 1-1 with Qatar. Real disappointment.They created a lot of chances, but were very wasteful in attack.
25. New Zealand (Group G). Draw 2-2 with Iran. A courageous performance that belied their status as the lowest ranked team in the tournament. They have a star in Elijah Just.
26. Iran (Group G). Draw 2-2 with New Zealand. We looked shaky in defense and were lucky to get a point.
27. Saudi Arabia (Group H). Draw 1-1 with Uruguay. Well organized and a threat on the counter attack. The days when they were victims of the tournament seem far behind them.
28. Haiti (Group C). Lost 0-1 to Scotland. Caused Scotland problems, but lacked the killer instinct. Strong and physical, but without quality.
29. South Korea (Group A). Victory over the Czech Republic 2-1. We struggled throughout the match to break the Czech Republic, but showed our worth when it mattered. Perhaps that same clinical accuracy is lacking.
30. Uruguay (Group H). Draw 1-1 with Saudi Arabia. Had 28 shots on goal before eventually leveling the match. Marcelo Bielsa's side need to work on finishing.

31-40
31. Türkiye (Group D). Lost 0-2 to Australia. Surprised by Australia in a match where they had over 70% possession. It's hardly a dream to return to the World Championships, 21 years after finishing third in 2002.
32. Austria (Group J). Victory over Jordan 3-1. An own goal and a penalty were needed to win. Hardly inspiring. The next match is against defending champions Argentina.
33.Cote d'Ivoire (Group E). Victory over Ecuador 1-0. It is difficult to get through in the opening match against Ecuador. The emergence of Amad Dyalo has added spark and gives hope for the future.
34. Ghana (Group L). Victory over Panama 1-0. Looked bad for most periods against Panama but were saved by a goal in the 95th minute. It will be tough against stronger opponents. England and Croatia are ahead.
35. Algeria (Group J). Lost 0-3 to Argentina. Messi's strike was decisive. They didn't make a single shot on target.
36. Jordan (Group J). Lost 1-3 to Austria. We scored a really beautiful goal. But they never threatened to defeat Austria. It will be difficult for them to leave the group.
37. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B). Draw 1-1 with Canada. Looked ready to win the opening match, but were cut short by a rebound in Toronto.
38. Canada (Group B). Draw 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Playing in front of a home crowd, they needed a rebound to snatch a late tie.
39. Iraq (Group I). Lost 1-4 to Norway. Not many teams can stop Erling Haaland, and Iraq certainly couldn't.
40. Ecuador (Group E). Lost 0-1 to Cote d'Ivoire. The expected dark horses of the tournament, but despite creating several chances they disappointed in a 0-1 defeat to Ivory Coast. Although their form was good.

41-48
41. Czech Republic (Group A). Lost 1-2 to South Korea. Slow and clumsy. We missed our advantage. This is not the Czech Republic that won hearts at Euro 96.
42. Uzbekistan (Group K).Lost 1-3 to Colombia. They lacked courage, but they enjoyed their first goal of the World Cup. But struggled to cope with Colombia's dynamism.
43. South African Republic (Group A). Lost 0-2 to Mexico. Couldn't have been more generous to their hosts on opening day. They offered very little in attack. We passed the ball back with ease. And we ended up with nine people.
44. Qatar (Group B). Draw 1-1 with Switzerland. A lucky draw. They were beaten by a Swiss team that had to score.
45. Paraguay (Group D). Lost 1-4 to the USA. Destroyed by the United States, and it could have been even worse. The defensive style is terrible in attack.
46. ​​Tunisia (Group F). Lost 1-5 to Sweden. Historical events - they fired their coach after the first match. That's how bad Tunisia was.
47. Panama (Group L). Lost 0-1 to Ghana. We took part in one of the worst matches of the World Cup so far. We were playing for a draw when we got Ghana's 95th minute goal.
48. Curacao (Group E). Lost 1-7 to Germany. A defeat on their World Cup debut, but their goal against Germany will be a moment they will never forget.

---

Related Articles

1. Jules Kounde pronto a riprendersi il palcoscenico ai Mondiali contro il Senegal
2. Sumali si Messi sa mesa ni Ronaldo: pambungad na gol laban sa Algeria

Related Articles

• Spain national team: a new generation on the way to the World Cup final