The real fun of World Cup football comes when it reaches the knockout stage. Didn't the last 32 matches of the 2026 World Cup prove this? There will be no bad day and no second chance. 

The first step of the knockout stage of the competition was no less than this time. Seven teams from Europe had reached the knockout stage. France, who are in excellent form, is also among them. 

Four teams from South America will now play in the last 16. They include two traditional powers, Brazil and Argentina. On top of that, the captain of the defending champion, Lionel Messi, has already scored. At the same time, the challenge of all three host countries remains. What were the special features of the last 32 stage? Now we will try to analyze it. 

The best France

What is currently visible is that the opposition team has not found a way to stop the four players playing for France, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Douy, Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olis. Now Bradley Barkola has also seen the same rhythm. 

In this way, it is difficult to say that a team as good as France has not been seen in this World Cup. The way France scored three goals against Sweden, it clearly says that France is the strongest candidate for the title among the teams seen so far. Coach Didier Deschamps is also very happy. 

The high level shown by Europe 

It can be said that not only France, but other European teams have also performed well. Norway, Belgium, England, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland have reached the last 16. Belgium and England had to face a strong challenge from their African rivals. Belgium's comeback against Senegal in particular was nothing short of sensational. DR Congo, on the other hand, put England to the test. Portugal's defeat of another European team, Croatia, was no less impressive. With a few exceptions, all of Europe's major teams managed to advance. 

A superpower towards the end

If there is one superpower in Europe that has disappointed everyone, it is Germany. Italy failed to qualify, Uruguay was stopped in the league stage. Germany did a little better than these two. But the team also failed to make the last 32 round favorable. Germany lost to Paraguay in a penalty shootout. The trend of not being able to win in the knockout stage since 2014 has continued. Germany has not been weak in the World Cup just now. In the previous two editions, Germany was stopped in the league stage. Now, the changes are visible, and there will be big changes in the German team. 

Home field advantage

Who can say that home teams don't have an advantage in football? The three co-host countries, the United States, Canada and Mexico, have all managed to reach the last 16 this time. In this way, home fans are happy that the challenge of all three host countries remains. This has also maintained the excitement of the competition. There was at least one fear before the start of the competition, that the American general sports fans would not show less interest in the football World Cup? But this has not happened. Mexico is in great rhythm. Canada has maintained its enthusiasm even though it has to play on American soil. 

Star race for the Golden Ball

One of the most exciting things about this World Cup is the race for the Golden Ball award. That race is also something that some players are doing well. That too, they are big stars. Messi is ahead in this race, he has scored 7 goals. Behind him is Mbappe with 6 goals. And Erling Haaland and England captain Harry Kane are on the list of five goals. Not only that, Messi's World Cup goals tally has also reached 20. The race for the Golden Ball has not only made the World Cup itself more exciting, it has also made it more sensational.