Argentina

The race into the last 16 has already changed the shape of the World Cup, and Mexico’s rise is one of the clearest signs of how quickly the bracket is being rewritten. A perfect group stage, a first knockout win in 40 years and a roaring home crowd in Mexico City have pushed the hosts into the top six of the latest rankings.France still lead the way after another convincing win, but the bigger story is how much movement has come from the round of 32. Norway, Senegal, Paraguay, Algeria, Austria, Australia, DR Congo, Cape Verde and Bosnia and Herzegovina have all strengthened their cases, while several teams that arrived with high expectations have already fallen away.Mexico’s surge changes the tone of the tournamentMexico have moved up to sixth after beating Ecuador 2-0 in front of a packed Azteca and completing a tournament run that has included three group-stage wins without conceding. Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez have supplied five goals between them, and the atmosphere in Mexico City has turned every home match into a major event.The reward is a last-16 meeting that could bring England to Mexico City, provided England get past DR Congo. For a host nation that had already beaten South Africa in its opening game, the run has become one of the tournament’s most compelling storylines.TeamRanking ChangeKey DetailMexicoUp 1Three group wins, no goals conceded, first knockout win in 40 yearsFranceTopHighest-scoring team, 3-0 win over SwedenNorwayUp 1Reached the last 16 for only the third timeSenegalUp 3Advanced after thrashing Iraq 5-0France and Argentina remain the standardFrance’s 3-0 win over Sweden underlined why they remain first in the rankings, with Kylian Mbappe still on course for the Golden Boot and Michael Olise leading the assist charts. Their projection remains the strongest in the field, and a last-16 meeting with Paraguay should give them another route to the quarter-finals.Argentina are close behind after three convincing group-stage wins, with Lionel Messi leading the tournament scoring race on six goals. Their bracket also looks favorable, with Cape Verde next and a possible round-of-16 tie against Australia or Egypt.Hosts and outsiders keep reshaping the bracketCanada, the second host nation to reach the last 16, continue to climb after a hard-earned path through the group stage and a 92nd-minute winner from Stephen Eustaquio against South Africa. Morocco also slipped a place despite beating the Netherlands, while Norway climbed after beating Ivory Coast to set up a heavyweight tie with Brazil.Across the bracket, several teams have turned strong defensive work into progress. Switzerland advanced unbeaten, Ghana handled the group stage with tactical flexibility, and Algeria survived a dramatic finish against Austria to stay alive on four points.Some contenders still have everything to proveEngland remain fifth, but their ranking still reflects as much potential as proof. Thomas Tuchel’s side face DR Congo next, and injury issues at right-back have left them short of options ahead of a possible meeting with Mexico.Brazil, Spain, Portugal and Croatia are all still in the mix, but each carries different questions. Brazil needed Gabriel Martinelli’s added-time winner to get past Japan, Spain needed Lamine Yamal back to steady their campaign, Portugal have been left wondering about Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence, and Croatia now face a high-stakes test against Portugal.At the other end, Ivory Coast, Sweden, Ecuador and South Africa are already out, while Iran were left bitterly disappointed after going unbeaten and still missing out. The picture across the tournament is still shifting fast, but Mexico’s jump into the top six is one of the clearest signs that the hosts are no longer just part of the story. Read more at: www.nytimes.com

Mexico Breaks Into The Top Six, As The World Cup Rankings Keep Shifting