France captain Kylian Mbappe has overtaken Argentina’s Lionel Messi to claim the top spot in FIFA’s World Cup Power Rankings following the conclusion of the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The updated rankings, released by FIFA on Wednesday, place Mbappe first with an attacking score of 8.71, ahead of Messi, who dropped to second with 8.45.

Norway striker Erling Haaland is ranked third with a score of 8.04, while England captain Harry Kane occupies fourth place with 7.41.

The FIFA Power Rankings, launched for the 2026 World Cup and powered by Aramco, use match data to objectively assess players’ performances throughout the tournament.

Outfield players are scored on a scale of 0-10 across three categories, attacking, creativity and defending, while goalkeepers are assessed for defending the goal and in-possession play.

The rankings are updated after every match.

France also leads two of the three outfield categories, with Michael Olise topping the creativity rankings (8.19) and Dayot Upamecano leading the defending category (7.67).

Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa ranks first for goalkeeping, with a score of 8.89.

Top 10 FIFA World Cup Power Rankings after the Round of 16

Rank Player Country

1 Kylian Mbappe France

2 Lionel Messi Argentina

3 Erling Haaland Norway

4 Harry Kane England

5 Johan Manzambi Switzerland

6 Jude Bellingham England

7 Vinicius Junior Brazil

8 Julian Quinones Mexico

9 Ousmane Dembele France

10 Crysencio Summerville Netherlands

Top 10 Goalkeeper Power Rankings after the Round of 16

Rank Goalkeeper Country

1 Diogo Costa Portugal

2 Gregor Kobel Switzerland

3 Orlando Gill Paraguay

4 Mostafa Shoubir Egypt

5 Unai Simon Spain

6 Orjan Nyland Norway

7 Vozinha Cabo Verde

8 Jordan Pickford England

9 Zion Suzuki Japan

10 Yassine Bounou Morocco (The PUNCH)

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