Getty Images Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, and Kane will all be battling for the World Cup in the knockout round.
- The knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup is officially set.
- One side of the bracket appears to be stacked, featuring four of the top five teams in the world.
- Regardless of what path they take, one of these 16 teams is now just four wins away from World Cup glory.
The bracket for the knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup is officially set.
With 16 teams remaining, the tournament now moves to an elimination bracket, pitting teams against one another in decisive matches - the dramatic draws of the group stage will now give way to exhilarating extra time and the overwhelming anxiety of penalty shootouts.
Jenny Cheng/Business Insider
16 teams remain in the fight for the 2018 World Cup, and with the knockout bracket officially set, some teams look to have a much easier path to the final than others.
As the tournament played out, the bracket proved to grow somewhat unbalanced, resulting in a "side of death" that features four of the top five teams in the FIFA rankings -Brazil, Belgium, Portugal, and Argentina - all competing for one spot in the final. Opposite them, teams like Spain, Croatia, and England were dealt what looks like a much easier path to the final, as long as they can take care of business in their opening matches.
ESPN Stats & Info noted that the left side of the bracket shares between it 10 World Cup titles and 16 appearances in the final, compared to just two titles and three appearances amongst the other eight teams remaining.
While this overloaded side of the bracket may seem a bit unfair to contenders looking to take home the World Cup, it will undoubtedly make for some amazing football.
The knockout round of the World Cup kicks off on Saturday, with France vs. Argentina and Uruguay vs. Portugal battling for their spots in the quarterfinals.
You can keep up with the schedule and all of the results of the World Cup as they happen here.