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Agencies

More World Cup teams, but same World Cup story.
This edition in North America started with 48 teams; it is now down to eight, with six of those from Europe, with the exceptions being Lionel Messi’s Argentina, the reigning champions, and Morocco.
And unless the remaining African side pulls off a series of surprising outcomes over the final two weeks, the champions will again come from Europe or South America.
A tournament that has been around for almost a century – the first World Cup was in 1930 – has been contested on 22 previous occasions. The champions: 12 from Europe, 10 from South America, zero from the rest of the globe combined.
The expansion of the World Cup has offered more of a chance to continents that were previously under-represented at the tournament, but a glance at the quarter-final line-up tells a familiar tale.
With France, Spain, Belgium, England, Norway and Switzerland still in contention, there could be an all-European semi-final line-up, like in 2018.

Europe’s share of the spots at a World Cup has decreased dramatically in recent decades, from boasting 14 of 24 berths in Italy in 1990, to 16 out of 48 now.
The rest of the world has therefore seen its share of the places shoot up, with Africa having 10 teams this year compared with just five in Qatar in 2022.
But now that we are down to the business end, Europe’s six teams in the quarter-finals was an increase on four years ago, when five European sides remained.
The 2002 World Cup remains an outlier, when only four European teams made the quarter-finals, and five confederations – Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and North America – were represented.
It was a rare blip. Of the 48 available quarter-final spots over the six World Cups since, Europe has claimed 30, South America 14, Africa three and North America one.
In football, Europe is where the wealth is concentrated, with the vast majority of the world’s top talent playing in the continent’s biggest leagues.
Western European academies see the best coaches produce the most talented youngsters, and many countries elsewhere have benefited from this.
Morocco, who were the continent’s first World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, have become a leading force thanks to a two-pronged approach.
Several members of their squad, including playmaker Azzedine Ounahi, are products of the Mohammed VI Academy, a state-of-the-art facility outside the capital, Rabat.
But most of their players were born in western Europe and came through academy systems there – captain Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz from Spain, Noussair Mazraoui in the Netherlands, Ayyoub Bouaddi in France, for example.

In the 1-1 draw with Brazil in their tournament opener, they became the first side in World Cup history to at one point field a full foreign-born 11.
Morocco now have the chance to at least match their historic run to the semi-finals in 2022.
“Morocco are evolving all the time, as are France,” coach Mohamed Ouahbi said ahead of Thursday’s clash between the nations.
“These two teams are even better than they were four years ago and that was to be expected given the great work being done by both federations.”
Brazil’s curse
Almost a quarter of all players selected for this World Cup represented a country other than their birthplace – frequently those players were born in Europe but chose to wear the colours of a nation from elsewhere.
Argentina are different. Most of their players were born there, but many were picked up early by European clubs: Messi is the ultimate example, having been barely a teenager when he joined Barcelona.
Most of Brazil’s players are based in Europe too, but this is the first World Cup in which they have failed to make the quarter-finals since 1990.
That is despite appointing a European coach, in Carlo Ancelotti. The thought process was essentially, if you cannot beat them, join them.
However, Brazil’s defeat to Norway in the round of 16 maintained their record of having lost every time they have come up against European opposition in a World Cup knockout tie since they last won the trophy in 2002.

Meanwhile, this World Cup appeared to represent the perfect opportunity for the United States to reach at least the quarter-finals – as they did once before, in 2002. Their tournament ended in a 4-1 humbling by Belgium.
Asia, meanwhile, had a record nine representatives, but only Australia and Japan got beyond the group stage.
Colombia had high hopes but were defeated on penalties by Switzerland, another small Western European nation with an oversized wealth of talent.
They are through to their first quarter-final since 1954, and their established record of playing and competing against Europe’s top sides helps them believe they can give Argentina a game.
“This is a unique opportunity for us. We have seen that Argentina are not unbeatable,” said Switzerland coach Murat Yakin.


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Fifa

Messi, Morocco and same old story as Europe dominates quarter-finals in expanded World Cup

Moroccan and French flags, and jerseys with the names of Lionel Messi and Spain's Lamine Yamal, outside a sports shop in Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

France’s Raphael Varane with the World Cup in 2018, when all the semi-finalists were from Europe. Photo: AFP

Team captain Achraf Hakimi (left) is one of several Moroccan players born in Europe. Photo: AFP

Brazil, who were knocked out by Norway, failed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1990. Photo: AFP

Fifa World Cup: France and Morocco pause friendship for Boston quarter-final

Ayyoub Bouaddi (left) will be aiming to eliminate his birth country when he lines up for Morocco against France in the teams’ World Cup quarter-final. Photo: AP Photo

Jules Kounde of France fends off Morocco’s Noussair Mazraoui  during the 2022 World Cup semi-final. Photo: dpa

Teary Argentina, Messi now face World Cup’s last Cinderella team in quarter-finals

Ruben Vargas (right) celebrates with his Swiss teammates after scoring the winning penalty in the shootout win over Colombia in Vancouver on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Lionel Messi has tears in his eyes as he celebrates the win over Egypt on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Switzerland’s Ruben Vargas scores the fifth and winning penalty in the shoot-out. Photo: TNS

Swiss fans cheer the win at a public viewing in Zurich on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Sport

Football

The rest of the world has seen its share of spots shoot up, but this tournament could still end up with all-European semi-finals


The rest of the world has seen its share of spots shoot up, but this tournament could still end up with all-European semi-finals.


Fifa World Cup 2026

Lionel Messi

Carlo Ancelotti

Messi, Morocco and same old story as Europe dominates quarter-finals in expanded World Cup

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The rest of the world has seen its share of spots shoot up, but this tournament could still end up with all-European semi-finals

The rest of the world has seen its share of spots shoot up, but this tournament could still end up with all-European semi-finals