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Eight games remain at the 2022 World Cup, maybe as few as four-and-a-half hours (plus an awful lot of added time) standing between one of these teams and the greatest triumph in their sport.

As is so often the case at World Cups, a thrilling group stage had the world wondering whether this might be the tournament of upsets, dark horses going all the way to glory. Instead, we have reached a quarterfinals where these eight teams might have a reasonable case to be ranked among the dozen or so best international sides on the planet. Morocco might have provided the round of 16's upset but theirs is still a squad with representatives from Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Sevilla.  

Still, this first slice of true knockout football has taught us some things we might not have known about the quarterfinalists before. Portugal can actually knock it around quite neatly under Fernando Santos. Croatia might go deep in tournaments but it does not come by winning games in the 90. Kylian Mbappe quite likes this competition. OK, we might have known that one for about four years.

There are eight still standing, here is how we rank them:

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World Cup Power Rankings
1
Brazil
All that was missing from those two possession and territory dominant wins over Serbia and Switzerland to start the tournament was the sort of drubbing on the scoresheet that, to use that most familiar of tournament cliches, sends out a message to their rivals. That came in emphatic form on Neymar's return against South Korea, but whilst he and the frontline stole the headlines, don't overlook a defense that has conceded just 0.38 non-penalty expected goals (npxG) per match, the tournament's second-best tally.
2
France
If Kylian Mbappe is not currently the best player in the world, it is surely only a matter of time before his claim to that crown is nigh on indisputable. He has that clutch gene and clearly relishes his role on the biggest stage. But even if he were to miss that mouthwatering quarterfinal against England, DIdier Deschamps could turn to an in form Ousmane Dembele or record goalscorer Olivier Giroud. Perhaps the only man rivaling Mbappe for form is Antoine Griezmann, who has the third-most shot creating actions at the tournament so far.
3
Portugal
Fernando Santos has discovered what Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag did before him: That 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is more hindrance than help for winning at the highest level, all the more so when you have the promising young Goncalo Ramos to take his place. Once the Benfica striker netted his brilliant first against Switzerland, you could sense Portugal starting to realize that, after Spain's shock elimination earlier, the path to the final was really opening up for them. If they keep playing like they did on Tuesday, they could be in for something special indeed.
4
England
Their forwards, particularly Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford, are on a scoring tear that only needs to last for another three games. Even if it does not, Harry Kane is starting to regain some freshness after his injury against Iran and there are plenty of other attacking options who just need to strike gold a couple of times. The question is, as always, whether their midfield can boss the game. The early indications are that the Jordan Henderson-Jude Bellingham axis could well be able to do exactly that. Their biggest question for the quarterfinal is simple, can they ensure that Harry Maguire does not get isolated against Dembele or, perish the thought, Mbappe?
5
Argentina
Defensively, this Argentina team is extraordinarily effective, allowing four shots per game, more than two fewer per game than anyone else in the field. It should, however, be noted that they have had perhaps the most favorable schedule of anyone left standing in this competition; if you are a favorite for the tournament, you really should be keeping Mexico or Poland to a handful of shots. With Rodrigo De Paul improving as the World Cup goes on, the Albiceleste are managing to get good balls to Lionel Messi, but if they are to beat Brazil in a semifinal -- assuming they get that far -- they may need to diversify their attack.
6
Netherlands
Their 3-1 win over the USA was by far the most impressive performance by the Dutch at this tournament, one where Louis van Gaal's wingbacks stretched the opposition back four beyond its breaking point. Denzel Dumfries in particular has continued his welcome habit of delivering for his nation at international tournaments. With the Inter Milan wide man and Daley Blind on outstanding form, the attack looks to be a little less reliant on Cody Gakpo. Meanwhile, the defense oozed authority in the round of 16, giving every indication that they wanted to be put under U.S. pressure.
7
Morocco
Morocco's outstanding defense had Spain running to a standstill before Bono's heroics in the penalty shootout; it should not have been a surprise to Luis Enrique that Morocco were capable of keeping his side below half an expected goal until the dying moments of extra time. Indeed, only Argentina and Brazil are giving up fewer npxG per game, aided by the presence of the outstanding Sofyan Amrabat in front of the backline. Against Portugal, they will surely be underdogs, but the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal are electric game-changers in attack.
8
Croatia
That this team have reached a World Cup final and quarterfinal despite failing to win a tournament match in normal time since 1998 gives you a sense of their grit and grind approach, using fairly blunt possession that has not particularly looked like grinding down anyone bar Canada in this tournament. It is hard to get that excited about a side that was largely outplayed by Japan but got lucky with woeful finishing from the spot in the crapshoot that is a penalty shootout. (If they read this, they're going to take offense, aren't they?)