Unusual or predictable? How Europe is dominating the World Cup
Summary
European teams are performing very well in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, with six out of eight teams coming from Europe. This is the highest number of European teams in the last eight at a World Cup outside Europe since 1994. Despite a slow start and challenges like heat and tough opponents, European teams have shown strong play and resilience.Key Facts
- Six European teams reached the quarter-finals: Belgium, England, France, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland.
- Switzerland reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 1954.
- Other quarter-finalists are Argentina and Morocco.
- Europe has only twice won World Cups hosted outside the continent before: Spain in 2010 and Germany in 2014.
- European teams struggled early in the group stage but improved significantly during the tournament.
- England overcame challenges like playing at high altitude and hostile crowds against Mexico.
- The tournament format expanded to 48 teams with an extra knockout round in 2026.
- Five European teams are in the top eight of the FIFA world rankings, showing their overall strength.
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