World Cup knockout stage power rankings

If not for a hand ball in the opening minutes of their game against Colombia, Japan likely wouldn't be here right now. Even with that, they only made it out of their group because they took fewer yellow cards than Senegal. Japan certainly aren't slouches, but they are the weakest team left.

In truth, Russia would probably be at the bottom of this list if they weren’t hosting the tournament. That goes a long way. However, they've played exactly one good team, Uruguay, and they were housed. Russia took advantage of an easy group, but there are no easy games left.

Sweden bested the Netherlands in their group to make it to a playoff and then beat Italy in said playoff just to make the World Cup. Their surprise run continued as they won their group thanks to a 3-0 bashing of Mexico. That being said, their roster is pretty weak. Their best player is Emil Forsberg, which is probably the worst best player on any of the teams left. They've managed to get by, but it will be hard for the luck to continue.

According to the Soccer Power Index on FiveThirtyEight , Denmark is the third-worst team left standing. However, Denmark has Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen, a legitimately great player. The Danes are pretty bland, their scoreless draw with France was the worst game of the group stage but one elite talent can make a difference sometimes.

Lionel Messi is the best (or second best) player in the world. So why can't Argentina crack the top 10? Well, did you see them play? Argentina seems totally discombobulated, and the coaching has been questionable. It took a near miracle to even get them to this point. Why have faith now?

Colombia would be higher, but the status of James Rodriguez is up in the air after he left their game against Senegal with an injury. That completely changes the picture. There is still talent on this team — Radamel Falcao and Jose Cuadrado still have some life in their legs — but without Rodriguez, Colombia's ceiling is limited.

Nobody thinks "soccer powerhouse" when thinking of the Swiss, but this team has real talent. They tied Brazil, after all, even if they had to beat Neymar into the ground to do it. The Swiss aren't afraid to throw their weight around, though. Most of their best players ply their trade in Europe's best leagues. Sure, Xherdan Shaqiri played for Stoke last season, but that's still a Premier League team.

Mexico would have been higher before falling flat against Sweden. Plus, their win over Germany doesn't seem as impressive as it did when it first happened. Still, this team has a nice mix of young talent like Hirving Lozano and established veterans such as Javier Hernandez, aka Chicharito. Juan Carlo Osorio is an interesting manager. Maybe he can work some magic.

Perhaps Croatia should be higher given how they strolled through the group stage. Their plus-six goal differential definitely sticks out, and any team led by Luka Modric is going to be a threat. However, three games is a small sample size. Does Croatia have a chance to win it all? Yes, but it's also fair to want to see a little more from them before buying all the way in.

Harry Kane is as good a striker as there is left in the tournament, and he's not alone. Sure, Gareth Southgate seems to have jumped on the "let's scapegoat Raheem Sterling" bandwagon, but he still has plenty of talent at this disposal. This is the best England team in a long time. The only question may be in net. Jordan Pickford isn't quite on the same level as other top netminders.

The last time there was a major tournament, the 2016 European Championship, Portugal were the winners. They also have Cristiano Ronaldo, who lit the world on fire against Spain and has remained solid since. The talent around him is a bit limited, but unlike Argentina, Portugal has stability that allows them to excel despite being so centrally focused on one player.

Uruguay had a division they should have cruised through, and to their credit that's exactly what they did. They scored five goals and allowed zero, and this is a team that has been defensively stout traditionally. Plus, they still have Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani up front. If any team is a sleeper out of these final 16, it's probably Uruguay.

The young talent from 2014 has blossomed into an incredibly potent squad in 2018. Guys like Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard are in their primes. According to SPI, they are the third-best team left and were the fourth-best team overall (shout out to Germany). On the other hand, none of these players have done it before, and neither have Belgium. That shouldn't be overstated, but when splitting hairs it means something.

Spain have made it this far despite some questionable goalkeeping from David De Gea. However, he's probably the best goalie in the world, so there isn’t any reason for fear. Though Spain is a little long in the tooth, and though they fired their manager right before the tournament, this is still a formidable team and also clearly the best team on their side of the bracket.

France did not look great in the group stage. Their offense was only fitfully impressive. Having said that, just look at this roster. France is arguably the most talented team in the entire tournament. If they put it together, nobody is going to beat them. The only issue is that little word "if."

Who else could it be? Yes, Brazil are being hampered by injury on their defense, but they are so deep they can manage. Additionally, having Alisson in net can cure a lot of ills. They have Neymar and Philippe Coutinho to lead the attack. Brazil were challenged by a tough group, but they made it through, and now they should be the favorites to win it all. They may be on the trickier side of the bracket, but part of the reason it's so tricky is because Brazil is there.