diff --git a/httpie/cli/argparser.py b/httpie/cli/argparser.py
index 9bf09b3b73..b5550f5e9f 100644
--- a/httpie/cli/argparser.py
+++ b/httpie/cli/argparser.py
@@ -377,7 +377,19 @@ def _apply_no_options(self, no_options):
                 invalid.append(option)
 
         if invalid:
-            self.error(f'unrecognized arguments: {" ".join(invalid)}')
+            # When options are placed between METHOD and URL
+            # (e.g., `http POST --auth-type bearer --auth token URL`),
+            # argparse may fail to associate the URL with the `url`
+            # positional and leave it as an unrecognized argument.
+            # Detect this case and rearrange the arguments.
+            if (len(invalid) == 1
+                    and self.args.method is None
+                    and self.args.url
+                    and re.match('^[a-zA-Z]+$', self.args.url)):
+                self.args.method = self.args.url
+                self.args.url = invalid[0]
+            else:
+                self.error(f'unrecognized arguments: {" ".join(invalid)}')
 
     def _body_from_file(self, fd):
         """Read the data from a file-like object.
@@ -412,9 +424,20 @@ def _guess_method(self):
 
         """
         if self.args.method is None:
-            # Invoked as `http URL'.
-            assert not self.args.request_items
-            if self.has_input_data:
+            if self.args.request_items:
+                if re.match('^[a-zA-Z]+$', self.args.url):
+                    # `url` holds a method name and the actual URL was
+                    # parsed as a request item (Python 3.13+ argparse).
+                    self.args.method = self.args.url
+                    first_item = self.args.request_items.pop(0)
+                    self.args.url = first_item.orig
+                else:
+                    self.error(
+                        'Got unexpected request items with no HTTP '
+                        'method specified. Usage:\n\n'
+                        '    http [METHOD] URL [REQUEST_ITEM ...]\n'
+                    )
+            elif self.has_input_data:
                 self.args.method = HTTP_POST
             else:
                 self.args.method = HTTP_GET
diff --git a/tests/test_cli.py b/tests/test_cli.py
index 2cd27574af..537671ba52 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -317,6 +317,39 @@ def test_guess_when_method_set_but_invalid_and_item_exists(self):
         ]
 
 
+    def test_guess_when_method_none_and_request_items_present(self):
+        self.parser.args = argparse.Namespace()
+        self.parser.args.method = None
+        self.parser.args.url = 'POST'
+        self.parser.args.request_items = [
+            KeyValueArg(
+                key='https', value='//example.org',
+                sep=':', orig='https://example.org')
+        ]
+        self.parser.args.ignore_stdin = False
+        self.parser.env = MockEnvironment()
+        self.parser.has_input_data = False
+        self.parser._guess_method()
+        assert self.parser.args.method == 'POST'
+        assert self.parser.args.url == 'https://example.org'
+        assert self.parser.args.request_items == []
+
+
+class TestOptionsBeforeURL:
+
+    def test_method_with_options_before_url(self):
+        r = http('--offline', 'POST', '--print=H',
+                 '--auth-type', 'bearer', '--auth', 'token123',
+                 'https://example.org')
+        assert 'POST / HTTP/1.1' in r
+        assert 'Authorization: Bearer token123' in r
+
+    def test_get_with_options_before_url(self):
+        r = http('--offline', 'GET', '--print=H',
+                 '--verbose', 'https://example.org')
+        assert 'GET / HTTP/1.1' in r
+
+
 class TestNoOptions:
 
     def test_valid_no_options(self, httpbin):