2. Breakdown by continent
Europe (UEFA)
- Teams qualified: 14
- Teams advanced: 10
- Round of 16 participants: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
- Teams eliminated: Germany, Iceland, Poland, Serbia
South America (CONMEBOL)
- Teams qualified: 5
- Teams advanced: 4
- Round of 16 participants: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay
- Team eliminated: Peru
Asia (AFC)
- Teams qualified: 5
- Teams advanced: 1
- Round of 16 participants: Japan
- Teams eliminated: Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Australia (part of the Asian Football Confederation)
North America (CONCACAF)
- Teams qualified: 3
- Teams advanced: 1
- Round of 16 participants: Mexico
- Teams eliminated: Costa Rica, Panama
Africa (CAF)
- Teams qualified: 5
- Teams advanced: 0
Europe and South America are continuing their utter domination at the World Cup. There’s never been a World Cup participant that isn’t from one of these two continents, and barring an utter miracle from either Mexico or Japan, that doesn’t seem likely to change. South America sent four of its five participants past the group stage, whereas Europe sent 10 of its ridiculous 14 through. That only makes it more shocking that Germany wasn’t able to make it out.
Compared to the 2014 World Cup, only six UEFA teams made it to the knockout stage. CONMEBOL had five, CONCACAF featured three and CAF featured two African teams.