Here are the FIFA rankings for every third-place team in 2026 World Cup tiebreaker
· Yahoo Sports
Here are the FIFA rankings for every third-place team in 2026 World Cup tiebreaker originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Visit amunra.qpon for more information.
With the World Cup field expanded to 48 teams and 32 in the knockout stage, it might be time to get weird with tiebreakers.
For the first time, a team's place in the FIFA World Rankings could come into play and determine who advances to the knockout stage.
The world rankings are the seventh and final tiebreaker within groups, but three of the six tiebreakers ahead of them are head-to-head tiebreakers. Because third-place teams are in different groups and don't have head-to-head matchups with their counterparts, there is a chance the world rankings come into play as a tiebreaking method.
Here's a look at the FIFA World Ranking for every third-place team at the World Cup.
2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets
World Cup 2026 FIFA rankings for every third-place team
Third-place teams to qualify for knockouts
Ecuador (24th)
Ecuador is through to the knockout stage with four points and sits as one of the highest-ranked third-place teams among the third-place finishers at 24th. After a loss to Ivory Coast and a disappointing draw with Curacao, Ecuador salvaged its World Cup hopes with a win over Germany in Group E and will await its Round of 32 matchup.
Sweden (36th)
Sweden is ranked 36th in the world, putting the squad near the middle of the pack among third-place finishers, but this team is safely through to the knockout stage with four points. Sweden couldn't win again after its rout of Tunisia in their World Cup opener, but a draw with Japan was all that was needed to advance.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (61st)
Bosnia and Herzegovina is the lowest-ranked third-place team at the moment at 61st, but a draw with Canada and win over Qatar got the job done with four points in Group B. Bosnia already knows it will face the United States in the Round of 32.
Paraguay (37th)
Paraguay, ranked 37th in the world, split its first two World Cup matches by losing to the United States in a rout but winning against Turkey despite being heavily out-shot. With the chance to finish second in Group D, Paraguay met an Australia team that was content to settle for a draw, keeping this squad in third.
MORE:Scenarios for every group in 2026 World Cup
Senegal (18th)
Senegal was viewed as a potential challenger for France in Group I but opened the World Cup with losses to both France and Norway. After snagging three points and making a major move up the goal differential leaderboard with a 5-0 win over Iraq, Senegal could be the highest-ranked third-place qualifier at the World Cup in terms of FIFA rankings.
Third-place teams still alive
Iran (21st)
Iran earned a tough draw in Group G with two other top-30 squads in Belgium and Egypt, and they were the odd ones out with three draws but no wins. Iran will leave its fate up to the final day of group play, though a favorable FIFA ranking could help in the end.
Croatia (13th)
Croatia suffered a setback with an early loss to England but has a chance to rise above third place, where a world ranking of 13th would be a bit out of place compared to the rest of the teams competing for the eight spots.
South Korea (23rd)
South Korea's performance in Group A was largely a disappointment with losses to Mexico and South Africa. Despite a strong ranking of 23rd in the world, the Korean squad has left its fate up to the rest of the field.
Algeria (29th)
Algeria can move up to second in its group with a win over Austria on Saturday, though one has to wonder whether both will settle for a draw with four points enough to qualify even as a third-place team.
Scotland (41st)
Scotland started strong with a win over Haiti in Group C but couldn't pick up a point against favored Morocco or Brazil. Those results left the Scots in a precarious position, and a FIFA ranking of 41st doesn't help matters.
DR Congo (46th)
DR Congo is behind the pack for the most part with a ranking of 46th, but they share a group with 57th-ranked Uzbekistan and can clinch their spot by beating Uzbekistan outright in their final group stage match.
Third-place teams eliminated
Uruguay (19th)
Even in an expanded field, 19th-ranked Uruguay will miss the knockout stage after a winless group stage. Uruguay settled for disappointing draws against both Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde before losing to Spain in a match that could have made them Group H winners had they won.