USMNT Legend Alexi Lalas’ World Cup Power Rankings

He joined in April 2024, having previously worked at VAVEL as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, where he produced a variety of content, including pieces from press conferences and games. He also won an award for his role as lead editor for the Women's Football section of the online newspaper.

Covering football all across Europe, he has worked at stadiums such as Anfield, Old Trafford, and Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park, as well as having reported at both the 2023 men's and women's Champions League finals in Eindhoven and Istanbul.

He is infatuated with every aspect of football, but likes other sports as well, being an avid coffee-desperate Buffalo Bills supporter from across the pond and a darts' newbie. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account USMNT legend Alexi Lalas ranked every 2026 World Cup team from best to worst, having revealed his power rankings ahead of this summer’s showpiece tournament, and some of his predictions are bound to make Zlatan Ibrahimovic's skin crawl.

With the competition having headed across the big pond this year - the USA co-hosting alongside Canada and Mexico - the 96-capped former defender has already been a regular - albeit outspoken - voice throughout the build-up and during the tournament itself.

Now working as a pundit for Fox Sports, Lalas - who played in MLS for sides including the New England Revolution and LA Galaxy - is no stranger to strong takes, and this latest list is unlikely to be an exception. His rankings offer a snapshot of how he sees the global hierarchy shaping up in this summer's competition.

While the likes of England, Spain, and Argentina are all among the favourites to lift the trophy come July 19, none of them sit at the very top of Lalas’ list. That said, his predictions have probably changed since the start of the action.

England, Spain and France feature in the top 10.

Haiti made only their second World Cup appearance, and their first since 1974. Drawn into a group featuring Brazil and Morocco - controversial AFCON champions - and while they already faced extremely long odds of progressing beyond the group stage, they've already been eliminated. Alongside Cape Verde and Qatar, they are among the smallest nations heading to the United States, and their low rankings reflect the scale of the challenge.

New Zealand are likely to draw familiar reminders that football is not their primary sport. Ranked 43rd, they benefited from relatively limited competition in the Oceania qualifiers. Just ahead of them sit Iraq, who are 42nd in Lalas' standings.

There are few surprises in seeing Curacao and South Africa placed this low in the rankings either. The main disappointment, however, is that their early - and widely expected - exits could limit how often fans get to see some of the tournament’s most distinctive kits, which are among the best on display this year.

Alexi Lalas' 2026 World Cup Power Rankings (48-41)

“Almost the entire Uzbekistan squad plays its club football domestically, so I’m not expecting much from them this summer,” was the reasoning Lalas gave for why the White Wolves might struggle. They head into their first-ever World Cup with Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov standing out as the only obvious star in the side.

While Europe and South America remain the dominant powers in world football, Africa has traditionally been playing catch-up. Five African nations feature in this section, with Algeria ranked the strongest by Lalas, ahead of a cohort that also includes Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, as well as Ivory Coast, Tunisia, and DR Congo.

He also suggested that although Australia, ranked 36th, lack standout 'stars,' they could still pull off a surprise win against one of the USA (they lost 2-0), Paraguay, or Turkey. The same belief applies to Egypt, who he rightly predicted would record their first-ever World Cup victory against New Zealand. Meanwhile, 32nd-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina are thought to have already peaked after edging Italy in a dramatic playoff penalty shootout.

Alexi Lalas' 2026 World Cup Power Rankings (40-32)

Just 56 days before their opening match, Saudi Arabia parted ways with manager Herve Renard, who famously led them to a shock win over Argentina four years ago. It’s a bold decision that Lalas believed would hurt the Middle Eastern side, who are ranked just below Iran. There is also broader uncertainty surrounding the latter, with ongoing political tensions involving Donald Trump raising questions about whether their participation could even be affected, or whether they might have chosen to boycott altogether.

Below them sit the Czech Republic and Ghana, with Scotland placed 27th. The USMNT icon praised Scottish supporters as some of the best in international football, but noted they have often been let down by their much-loved Tartan Army. He expects Paraguay to “muck and grind” their way to a better tournament than Scotland, while Sweden - boasting both Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres - may feel slightly unfortunate to be ranked only 26th.

Above them are Austria, described as “sneaky good,” with a midfield capable of causing problems for even the strongest sides. Lalas even floated the idea that they could upset world champions Argentina in Group J.

Alexi Lalas' 2026 World Cup Power Rankings (31-24)

Senegal, the disqualified AFCON champions, head into the tournament as one of the dark horses. But thanks to a tougher group-stage fixture list, they don’t quite crack the top 20, nor do co-hosts Canada or previous underdogs Turkey, whose “new sense of pragmatism may enable the Turks to live up to the hype around their young team," but were ultimately eliminated first alongside Haiti.

South Korea, spearheaded by former Tottenham winger Son Heung-min, come in at 20th, just behind Switzerland’s “safe, boring, but effective” playing style. Elsewhere, Japan should be boosted after becoming the first Asian nation to beat England at Wembley during the last international break, while Ecuador are enjoying a golden generation of talent featuring Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie, and Willian Pacho.

“Norway will be a sexy dark-horse pick after dominating qualifying, which includes two wins over Italy,” Lalas said of his 16th pick. “The Norwegians will need more than just Haaland if they want to really compete this summer, though.”

Alexi Lalas' 2026 World Cup Power Rankings (23-16)

Lalas doesn’t expect Uruguay or Mexico to be pushovers this summer, though both sides will need to rely on the star power of a select few world-class players to get by. For Uruguay, that burden falls on Federico Valverde, who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world right now. Morocco, ranked 13th, are Africa’s highest-rated nation.

The Atlas Lions being this high isn’t a major surprise, but the fact that the USA are one place higher certainly is. Perhaps one of their former stars believes this is the right time for the country to start sitting up and taking more notice of their potential in “soccer.” He was still humble enough, however, to rank them below Belgium and Croatia.