Khairul Alam , Sports Desk — The expanded 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup has entered its business end, and despite a historic expansion designed to diversify global football, European heavyweights have firmly asserted their dominance.
Out of the eight nations remaining in the tournament, a staggering six are from Europe, echoing a trend not seen on this scale in over three decades.
France, England, Spain, Belgium, Norway, and Switzerland have all punched their tickets to the quarter-finals.
The only teams standing in the way of a complete European monopoly are the reigning world champions Argentina representing South America, and Morocco representing Africa.
This marks the highest concentration of European teams in the final eight since the 1994 World Cup, underscoring the continent’s enduring stranglehold on football’s grandest stage.
This year’s tournament made history by expanding from the traditional 32-team format to a massive 48-team roster, offering broader qualification paths across all continents.
Europe received the largest allocation with 16 slots, followed by Africa (10), Asia (9), South America (6), and North America (6). Yet, after a grueling 96-match journey—spanning 72 group-stage fixtures and 24 knockout matches—the traditional order has re-established itself.
The current scenario draws striking parallels to the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States.
In that edition, Europe historically commanded seven of the eight quarter-final spots (Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Romania, and Bulgaria), with Brazil being the sole outsider.
Fast forward 32 years later, with the United States back as a co-host, history is nearly repeating itself.
Statistically, Europe’s efficiency has skyrocketed. In the 2022 edition, 13 European teams made up 40% of the tournament, with five of them (62.5%) reaching the quarter-finals.
This year, because of the expansion, Europe’s overall participation share dropped to just 33% of the total grid. However, their prowess in knockout football has seen them capture 75% of the quarter-final slots.
Meanwhile, the tournament’s co-hosts—the USA, Canada, and Mexico—were all eliminated in the earlier rounds.
The upcoming quarter-final fixtures are set to be blockbuster battles with immense historical stakes. Switzerland is scheduled to clash with Argentina, while Morocco will face off against powerhouses France.
Should the European sides triumph in both encounters, the tournament will witness an all-European semi-final lineup—effectively turning the global showpiece into an exclusive European championship.
An all-European semi-final is rare but not unprecedented, having occurred five times in tournament history: 1934, 1966, 1982, 2006, and most recently in 2018.
With seven non-European teams—including heavyweights Brazil, alongside Canada, the USA, Paraguay, Mexico, Egypt, and Colombia—crashing out in the Round of 16.