The Round of 32 and 16 of the FIFA World Cup provided plenty of drama, so it’ll be interesting to see what the quarterfinals bring.
In case anybody had doubts, Europe remains the dominant force in world soccer, as it boasts six of the quarter-finalists, alongside one each from Africa and South America.
Argentina remains in the mix, hopeful of becoming the first nation to repeat as champions since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, while Spain is attempting to become the third reigning European champion to be crowned world champions.
Sportsnet ranks the remaining eight teams at the World Cup.
Group stage: 1st in Group I – 3-1 win vs. Senegal, 3-0 win vs. Iraq, 4-1 win vs. Norway
Round of 32: 3-0 win vs. Sweden
Round of 16: 1-0 win vs. Paraguay
Quarterfinals: vs. Morocco (July 9 in Boston)
Far and away the best team at the World Cup. The French have won all five of their games and have never trailed. Kylian Mbappé has been in fabulous form with seven goals, while Michael Olise has been the best creator with a tournament-high five assists. Les Bleus are also keeping it tight at the back with just two goals against and three clean sheets.
Group stage: 1st in Group H – 0-0 vs. Cape Verde, 4-0 win vs. Saudi Arabia, 1-0 win vs. Uruguay
Round of 32: 3-0 win vs. Austria
Round of 16: 1-0 win vs. Portugal
Quarterfinals: vs. Belgium (July 10 in Los Angeles)
The European champions have been impenetrable: Five clean sheets from five games (four wins) demonstrate just how solid their back line has been. Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi have been two of the best centre backs of the tournament, while not enough people are talking about Mikel Oyarzabal, who is among the top scorers with four goals.
Group stage: 1st in Group J – 3-0 win vs. Algeria, 2-0 win vs. Austria, 3-1 win vs. Jordan
Round of 32: 3-2 win vs. Cape Verde
Round of 16: 3-2 win vs. Egypt
Quarterfinals: vs. Switzerland (July 11 in Kansas City)
After cruising through the group stage, the World Cup holders received scares in both of their two knockout games before pulling out late victories. Argentina is finding ways to win even when it isn’t playing its best football, which is a mark of a very dangerous team. On top of that, Lionel Messi has been unstoppable with nine goals at this World Cup.
Group stage: 2nd in Group I – 4-1 win vs. Iraq, 3-2 win vs. Senegal, 4-1 loss vs. Norway
Round of 32: 2-1 win vs. Ivory Coast
Round of 16: 2-1 win vs. Brazil
Quarterfinals: vs. England (July 11 in Miami)
Norway is proving why so many pundits selected it as their pre-tournament dark horse pick. Goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland has been sensational, and Erling Haaland (seven goals in four games) has led a dangerous attack. The Norwegians are playing with a lot of confidence, especially after sending Brazil packing in the last round.
Group stage: 1st in Group G – 1-1 draw vs. Egypt, 0-0 draw vs. Iran, 5-1 win vs. New Zealand
Round of 32: 3-2 win vs. Senegal
Round of 16: 4-1 win vs. United States
Quarterfinals: vs. Spain (July 10 in Los Angeles)
After a slow start to the World Cup, the Red Devils are peaking at the right time with three consecutive wins, including a comprehensive victory to bounce one of the co-hosts from the tournament. Manager Rudi Garcia has been spot on with his team selections, including dropping the underwhelming Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku.
Group stage: 1st in Group L – 4-2 win vs. Croatia, 0-0 vs. Ghana, 2-0 win vs. Panama
Round of 32: 2-1 win vs. DR Congo
Round of 16: 3-2 win vs. Mexico
Quarterfinals: vs. Norway (July 11 in Miami)
The Three Lions have shown great poise, character and resilience in a pair of tough knockout round wins, while Harry Kane ranks among the tournament’s top scorers with six goals. England is also getting solid contributions from Jude Bellingham and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Group stage: 2nd in Group C – 1-1 draw vs. Brazil, 1-0 win vs. Scotland, 4-2 win vs. Haiti
Round of 32: Penalty shootout win vs. the Netherlands
Round of 16: 2-1 win vs. Canada
Quarterfinals: vs. France (July 9 in Boston)
Semi-finalists four years ago in Qatar, the Atlas Lions are on the cusp of another final four appearance after they were made to work for a pair of wins in the previous two rounds. Ismael Saibari has been one of the best players of the World Cup, while Morocco’s ruthlessness in attack has been notable.
Group stage: 1st in Group B – 1-1 draw vs. Qatar, 4-1 win vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2-1 win vs. Canada
Round of 32: 2-0 win vs. Algeria
Round of 16: Penalty shootout win vs. Colombia
Quarterfinals: vs. Argentina (July 11 in Kansas City)
Switzerland has done quite well to get to the quarterfinals for the first time since hosting the World Cup in 1954. Midfielder Johan Manzambi, 20, has been one of the breakout stars of the tournament for a Swiss side that is unbeaten in its six games and has recorded back-to-back shutouts in the knockout round.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.