Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been having a field day at Alexi Lalas’ expense during Fox Sports’ World Cup coverage. And honestly, Lalas is making it pretty easy for him.
The latest power rankings from the former USMNT defender dropped Brazil out of the top 10 entirely after their 1-1 draw with Morocco. Argentina jumped to No. 1, thanks to Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria. The USMNT slid in at No. 9 after that win everyone’s still talking about. But the real conversation is about who’s missing.
Lalas ran through the list on air, saying: “Argentina, we saw what they did last night with Messi. We were talking about it. Boom, right up to No. 1. USA, hanging in there in top 10 after that historic win, what a lot of people will say is the best performance of the US team in the World Cup in the group stage, so they are coming in at 9.”
Ibrahimovic, who’d already been needling him before the rankings even came out, asked where his Sweden was after they beat Tunisia 5-1. Lalas brushed him off. “Reminder, Netherlands, Croatia, Norway, Mexico and as you mentioned Brazil, are not even in the top 10, but things have changed.”
Let’s be real about those rankings. Brazil draws one game and suddenly they’re not among the top contenders? That’s a stretch. They’ve still got Neymar waiting in the wings and arguably the deepest attack in the tournament. Argentina lost their first match at the 2022 World Cup and went on to lift the trophy. So maybe pump the brakes on crowning them just yet.
Croatia made the semifinals last time and were runners-up before that. The Netherlands and Norway have Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. Those teams have a legitimate claim to being better positioned than the US at No. 9. Even Colombia or Japan getting in ahead of them feels debatable.
The bigger head-scratcher for fans might be the order at the top. Spain, England, Portugal, Germany and Morocco are slotted at Nos. 3 through 7. That’s a lot of powerhouses and one Morocco who made a run last time. But people have questions.
The biggest sore point is clearly Brazil being left out. They have world-class talent all over the field. One draw in the group stage doesn’t erase that. It’s a long tournament. Remember, this is the same Argentina that lost their opener in 2022 and then won the whole thing.
Lalas’ rankings are meant to be taken with a grain of salt. They’re fun conversation starters. They’re not scientific. But leaving Brazil out of the top 10 feels less like an analysis and more like a hot take. And Ibrahimovic is going to make sure he hears about it every step of the way.
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