From U.S. to Spain, why every round-of-32 team wil...

playCan USMNT go all the way in the World Cup? (2:03) FIFA has always had a cheat code. It knows the more soccer it gives us, the more we'll love it -- and the more it can then get away with. Soccer is an endless resource of entertainment, and sure enough, you could make the case that in the early going, the biggest, priciest World Cup has been the best one yet. Whatever you like, this one has had in abundance. You like it when the stars shine? Well, Lionel Messi just recorded his first World Cup hat trick, and Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland (among many others) all looked spectacular out of the gate. Even Mohamed Salah showed up when Egypt needed him most in their second group game. You like it when new players come out of the blue to become part of World Cup lore? Say hello to Cape Verde's Vozinha (a star versus Spain) and Curacao's Eloy Room (tied a World Cup record versus Ecuador). You like it when the favorites look like world-beaters for solid stretches of time? You must have really enjoyed those first games from France, England, Germany and (especially) Argentina. You like it when the supposed minnows take points off of the heavyweights? Cape Verde's draw with Spain and Congo DR's draw with Portugal must have sent shivers down your spine. - World Cup match schedule: All fixtures, results, features - World Cup 2026: How teams can advance to the knockout rounds - Breaking down World Cup's first 100 goals: How and when were they scored? Having more teams means having more stories to follow and more players to get to know. It also means more teams in the knockout rounds, so let's stop wasting time. An incredible 32 teams will take part in the World Cup knockout rounds, which begin Sunday in Los Angeles. Let's talk about why every single one of them could win this thing (and why they probably won't). (Note: As the group stage continues to play out, we'll fill this list with either teams that have clinched advancement to the knockout rounds or teams with at least four points in the group stage, as it's almost mathematically certain that they also will advance. All round-of-32 matchups are projected based on current standings: We will update this page with those likely matchups too as the bracket takes shape. Also, Opta odds will be updated with every update as more teams qualify.) Title odds, per Opta: 5.5% Next projected opponent: Japan, June 29 Why they will win it all: They still have the attacking talent. Even with the loss of Raphinha to a hamstring injury, they still have Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior (two goals and one assist thus far), they still have forwards Matheus Cunha and Igor Thiago, and they still have players like Gabriel Martinelli, Luiz Henrique, Rayan and Endrick, who have yet to get fully involved. (They also have Neymar, who's 34 years old and hurt and probably shouldn't be there, but might still have one last burst of World Cup magic in him.) Vinícius Júnior salvaged the Morocco match with a single moment of brilliance, and Carlo Ancelotti might be the best manager in the world when it comes to unlocking those moments. play1:23Will Brazil top Group C after victory vs. Haiti?Why they won't: You can't field 10 forwards. You need fullbacks, for one thing, and somehow Ancelotti's best options there remain Flamengo's 34-year-old Danilo and Zenit St. Petersburg's 32-year-old Douglas Santos. And for the strength that Vini Jr. & Co. possess up top, Raphinha was the closest thing to a strong pressing presence: A lack of full-team defense is putting strain on a midfield that is still asking 34-year-old Casemiro to clean up messes. They're strong at center back with Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães, but while you only have so much control over the balance of your national team player pool, Brazil's has perhaps never been this unbalanced. Title odds, per Opta: 0.9% Next projected opponent: Belgium, July 3 Why they will win it all: They know who they are. There can be great power in identity, and Canada's Jesse Marsch is keeping the Red Bull spirit alive. His team plays fast. They're averaging the second-most counterattack attempts in the competition (despite having had basically all of the ball against Qatar) and the most fast high-win sequences: sequences starting in the attacking third and lasting fewer than 13 seconds with fewer than six passes. They've scored three goals from high turnovers in two matches, and they've allowed the fewest progressive passes and progressive carries per game (though playing against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar probably helped keep those numbers low). They're creating quick-strike opportunities, Jonathan David and Cyle Larin are converting chances, and they could get at least two knockout matches in Vancouver, British Columbia. play0:32Canada fans at Niagara Falls celebrate 1st goal vs. QatarWhy they won't: Red Bull is yesterday's news. At the club level, the full-throttle style Marsch proselytized at RB Leipzig and Leeds Unit

From U.S. to Spain, why every round-of-32 team wil...

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