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3) Argentina (-1) They have won every match they have played at this World Cup and have the tournament’s leading scorer in Lionel Messi . But the world champions twice let Cape Verde back into a scintillating match on Friday and may not have been let off the hook by a more ruthless team. It will also be interesting to see how playing 120 minutes in the draining heat of Miami will affect them in Tuesday’s last-16 match against Egypt. By the end many of the Argentina side – including Messi – looked physically and emotionally drained. 4) Mexico (+3) There are few better sights than a bouncing Azteca Stadium watching El Tri in full flow. This is not the best squad at the tournament but they are thriving in their homeland, powered by the prodigal talents of Gilberto Mora, who was fantastic against Ecuador. The last-16 clash against England will be the last in Mexico for the co-hosts, which may slow their momentum if they progress. Interactive 5) Morocco (+4) Morocco never give up and forced extra time against the Netherlands through a 91st-minute Issa Diop goal. It was an indication that the African champions are calculated and able to hold their nerve, as Yassine Bounou proved in the penalty shootout. They have drawn with Brazil and beaten Netherlands to show they are capable of replicating their semi-final spot four years ago. “I think Morocco has gained everybody’s respect now,” said the head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi. Few would argue. 6) Brazil (-1) It felt as if two versions of Brazil played Japan . The one in the first half was placid and lacking desire. But once Brazil returned from the half-time break, a goal down, they were revitalised. Vinícius Júnior’s skills kept Japan on the back foot, ably supported by Rayan and the experience of Casemiro and Bruno Guimarāes in midfield. There are concerns with the defence but the forward line is making up for it. 7) Norway (+5) It turns out making 10 changes two matches in a row was a good idea . Erling Haaland is often quiet, making some think he is out of the game, but he is always alert, biding his time to pounce, and he got the winner against Côte d’Ivoire. The Manchester City striker will be quite excited about another ferocious battle with Gabriel Magalhães in the next round. 8) England (no change) England are lucky to possess one of the world’s best strikers, which helped them avoid an exit at the hands of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Harry Kane was clinical when it mattered , but Thomas Tuchel should be very worried about the overall performance. It was pedestrian and disjointed for the most part, leaving the head coach with plenty to ponder before an intimidating clash with the co-hosts Mexico. The defence was ragged against the DRC and a repeat of that performance will surely be punished. 9) USA (+7) Folarin Balogun’s red card – and suspension – may come back to haunt Mauricio Pochettino. The striker has proved a handful, scoring three times in as many games. The US can take heart, however, in how they performed after his dismissal against Bosnia and Herzegovina . They not only held off their opponents, they added a second goasl to show this version of the USMNT is made of stern stuff. They will not be afraid of Belgium. 10) Colombia (-4) Another dominant display against Ghana , even if a 1-0 win did not reflect their efforts. There will be concern that they are unable to kill off matches but the overall performances are worthy of note. They have all-action full-backs rampaging down the flanks, the unpredictable dribbling of Luis Díaz causes opponents problems, and James Rodríguez is reminding everyone of what he brings to a World Cup as a playmaker. Switzerland will hold no fears for a side full of vigour and confidence, backed by a large and loud group of supporters. 11) Portugal (-1) Penalty aside, Portugal were second best against Croatia while Cristiano Ronaldo was on the pitch. It took for Roberto Martínez to hook him for things to pick up; Gonçalo Ramos was then the hero with a fine header. Portugal know how to dominate possession but bluntness is a repeated issue. Rafael Leão has become their most dangerous threat and harnessing his qualities on the left will be important, supported superbly by Nuno Mendes. 12) Switzerland (+5) With Johan Manzambi becoming the breakout star , and the team having the experience of Breel Embolo and Granit Xhaka, Switzerland’s progress should not astound. “I think that you can really use Manzambi in every single position,” the head coach, Murat Yakin, said after the 20-year-old made light work of Algeria. “It’s just so much fun to work with him and see him perform like that. He is really evolving.” Which is starting to sound like a threat. 13) Belgium (no change) They were in extreme peril against Senegal until Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard shared stern words during the second hydration break. Some aggression was required because the Red Devils had been passengers. In the end, they conjured up a remarkable victory through luck rather than design, with even their head coach, Rudi Garcia, admitting Senegal deserved to win. Maybe more infighting can help unite what looks a disjointed side; they are very fortunate to be through. 14) Canada (+10) They needed an injury-time winner against South Africa but deserved to progress to the last 16. Canada were the more positive team and the return of their captain, Alphonso Davies, made a huge difference – he inspired his teammates to push on. It was Davies, a late substitute, who created space for the winner. His presence will provide optimism for the next round. 15) Egypt (+5) Reaching the last 16 was clearly an emotional moment for the nation; Mohamed Salah and the head coach, Hossam Hassan, burst into tears after they clinched victory against Australia . There was an attempt to win a tightly contested game before the dreaded shootout but the Pharaohs lacked the gumption to make something of it. Maybe that conservative spirit will be what is needed against Argentina. Salah’s Panenka shows there is plenty of swagger in this team. 16) Paraguay (+15) Neutrals may not be pleased by La Albirroja ’s style – Paraguay overcame Germany despite having 26% possession on the way to their shootout triumph . They should, however, be lauded for their continued improvement after their humiliation by the US in their first game. “If we had not learned from the loss, we would not have been prepared for this match,” the head coach, Gustavo Alfaro, said after beating Germany. “I told the players that we have lived through an epic evening.” 17) Cape Verde (+2) Ranked outside the top 16 only because they are out of the tournament. They were brilliant in a thriller against Argentina and showed the organisation and craft that got them to the knockout stage. Their only defeat of the tournament came against the reigning champions, and even that in extra time, and they held the European champions, Spain, to a draw. Bravo. 18) Japan (-4) So close to causing a shock against Brazil but they sat too deep for too long, letting their opponents back into the game. Still impressed by going toe-to-toe with one of the world’s best teams. 19) Croatia (-1) It was a fond farewell to 40-year-old Luka Modric who, alongside his teammates, could not have done much more in a chaotic match against Portugal that was lost by the finest of margins. 20) Netherlands (-16) Ronald Koeman changed his team’s formation and strategy against Morocco and it almost paid dividends. But he will surely wonder whether his conservatism was the reason the team departed early. 21) DR Congo (+4) Desperately tried to hold on against England, but were forced to camp inside their own area and it was too tough a task. Yoane Wissa will regret his miss that would have made it 2-0. 22) Senegal (+10) The postmortem will be a painful one, having given up a two-goal lead with four minutes to go against Belgium. They were dominant, outclassing Belgium for long periods, but football is cruel. 23) Côte d’Ivoire (-8) Only a stunning save from Ørjan Nyland prevented the Ivorians from going to extra time against Norway. It was a game settled by who had the best striker on the day, and few are better than Haaland. 24) Germany (-13) The cracks were papered over in the group stage but came to the fore in their shootout defeat. It was an error-strewn performance to end an underwhelming tournament for Germany. 25) Australia (-3) To make such great strides in the tournament and then forget how to take penalties in a shootout was deflating for them. Their finishing was wayward from the first whistle against Egypt. 26) Sweden (-5) There was no great shame in the defeat by France. Sweden worked extremely hard to keep their opponents quiet but were undone by an elite operation. 27) Ghana (-1) Losing 1-0 to Colombia was a fitting tribute to a team who rarely attacked and were often unbearable to watch – they didn’t have a shot on target in their last-32 tie. Thanks for coming, Carlos Queiroz. 28) Ecuador (+2) The effort needed to get past Germany in their group game was telling as Ecuador meekly exited against Mexico . They had the added ignominy of Piero Hincapié being sent off for covering his mouth. 29) Austria (-2) If not for the goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, things would have been a lot worse against Spain but there was no shame for Austria in being inferior. Interactive 30) Algeria (-2) Not sharp enough from the off and were caught cold by Switzerland. Algeria have found out the biggest stage is ruthless and they were never sufficiently cut-throat. 31) South Africa (-8) Made history by getting out of their group but it looked as if their main ambition against Canada was getting to a shootout. 32) Bosnia and Herzegovina (-3) Somewhat fortunate to get to the last 16. It was almost inevitable they would depart at this stage, especially when Edin Dzeko was forced off. • Rankings were assembled by polling six Guardian World Cup writers and editors. They were asked to rank the teams in the last 32 in order, from first to worst. Final rankings were based on an average of the votes cast.
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