India, June 28 -- The FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage is over, and the tournament has finally entered the zone where reputation is no longer insurance. The expanded 48-team format gave more nations room to dream, but the Round of 32 has quickly reminded everyone that World Cups are still decided by pressure, bracket luck and the ability to survive one bad night.

The final set of group-stage matches completed the knockout map. England beat Panama to top Group L, Croatia edged Ghana to stay alive, Colombia held Portugal and finished ahead of them in Group K, DR Congo made their way through, and Argentina closed Group J with a win over Jordan. Spain, Brazil, Germany and France had already done enough to place themselves among the favourites...