What happened: The World Cup round of 16 field is set, and UEFA leads all confederations with seven teams: France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England and Switzerland. CONMEBOL follows with four sides — Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia — while CONCACAF places three and CAF two.

Why it matters: All three co-hosts — Canada, the United States and Mexico — reached the knockout stage together, a first for a tri-hosted World Cup and a statement result for CONCACAF on home soil. Europe's seven survivors reinforce UEFA's depth, while Morocco and Egypt carry CAF's hopes into the knockouts.

What to watch: Round-of-16 matchups will decide whether a host nation can push into the quarterfinals and whether Europe's numbers advantage translates into a deep bracket.