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 |