World Cup Power Rankings: France Lead After Opening Games

Argentina kicked off their World Cup defence with an emphatic win over Algeria, but according to BBC Sport experts, they are not the best side at the tournament so far. A panel of journalists who watched every opening game has ranked all 48 teams from first to last.

Top 10: France Lead the Way

1. France (Group I) — Beat Senegal 3-1. Lived up to pre-tournament hype with a rampant second-half performance. Strength in every position makes them deserved favourites.

2. England (Group L) — Beat Croatia 4-2. Scored four and could have had more. Brilliant attacking performance led by Harry Kane, though there are slight concerns at the back.

3. Argentina (Group G) — Beat Algeria 3-0. Lionel Messi's presence and genius lift the entire team, enough to secure a top-three spot.

4. Germany (Group E) — Beat Curacao 7-1. Any team scoring seven in their opening fixture cannot be ignored, regardless of the opposition's quality.

5. USA (Group D) — Beat Paraguay 4-1. A surprise inclusion in the top five after destroying Paraguay with a slick performance, backed by the home crowd.

6. Norway (Group I) — Beat Iraq 4-1. Built around Erling Haaland, the team is set up to play to his strengths.

7. Colombia (Group K) — Beat Uzbekistan 3-1. Powerful, quick, and with the star quality of Luis Diaz, Colombia will trouble many opponents.

8. Morocco (Group C) — Drew 1-1 with Brazil. Looked like blowing Brazil away in the opening 20 minutes, then appeared to settle for a draw in the second half. More in the tank.

9. Brazil (Group C) — Drew 1-1 with Morocco. A shaky start raised questions about whether this is the Brazil of years gone by, but their wily squad refused to be beaten.

10. Sweden (Group F) — Beat Tunisia 5-1. Boast two of the Premier League's most deadly strikers and a midfield with an eye for goal.

11-20: Surprises and Struggles

11. Australia (Group D) — Beat Turkey 2-0. A pacy performance swept aside a Turkey side that were strong favourites on paper.

12. Spain (Group H) — Drew 0-0 with Cape Verde. The shock of the tournament so far, but Spain created enough chances to win several times over and are expected to go far.

13. Netherlands (Group F) — Drew 2-2 with Japan. Should have killed the game off but defensive concerns keep them lower.

14. Mexico (Group A) — Beat South Africa 2-0. Looked levels above a very poor South Africa side, though Cesar Montes' late red card was a blow.

15. Japan (Group F) — Drew 2-2 with Netherlands. Impressive fight to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat, but more ambition was expected from the perennial dark horses.

16. Scotland (Group C) — Beat Haiti 1-0. A good result but a poor performance, perhaps reflecting 28 years of pressure.

17. Cape Verde (Group H) — Drew 0-0 with Spain. Everyone's second team at the World Cup now, thanks to an inspired performance by veteran keeper Vozinha.

18. Belgium (Group G) — Drew 1-1 with Egypt. Needed an own goal to draw with a strong Egypt side. Created good chances and their toughest group match is now behind them.

19. Egypt (Group G) — Drew 1-1 with Belgium. Looked on for their first ever World Cup win. Emam Ashour's goal was good, but they created few other opportunities.

20. Senegal (Group I) — Lost 3-1 to France. No shame in losing to France. Did not concede until the 66th minute and could have been leading but for Nicolas Jackson striking the post in the first half.

21-30: Mixed Fortunes

21. Portugal (Group K) — Drew 1-1 with DR Congo. Still have Cristiano Ronaldo, but the team is burdened by his desire to be at the centre of everything.

22. Croatia (Group L) — Lost 4-2 to England. Scored two fine goals against big-hitters England, but were defensively poor and too reliant on ageing stars.

23. DR Congo (Group K) — Drew 1-1 with Portugal.