Clear African rise and domestic collapse… Why is Europe no longer safe at the World Cup?

With 12 of its teams through to the round of 32, Europe remains the most represented continent at the 2026 World Cup, but the picture behind this dominance looks more complicated until the knockout stages.

France, England and Spain will be present at this stage, which confirms that the major European powers are still the most obvious contenders for the title.

According to the message published by the websiteMiss Mercato“Some teams made a strong impression in the group stage, with France impressing with their control and efficiency, recording three consecutive victories at an impressive level. England asserted their strength without any real threat and Spain regained their footballing identity, even if things were not perfect in the group stage.

The Netherlands has also emerged as a strong and serious competitor, as well as Norway and Austria, which confirm their progress in the international arena.

But the picture behind these successes is far from perfect. Scotland suffered arguably Europe’s biggest disappointment, exiting the group stage and sacking their coach Steve Clarke, despite topping their group ahead of Denmark in the qualifiers.

Turkey also failed miserably at the tournament, suffering a disastrous defeat at the 2026 World Cup, while the Czech Republic finished bottom of their group after a disastrous performance, picking up just one point against South Africa.

The other teams have qualified, but they enter the tournament with more doubt than confidence. Portugal still struggle to produce creative and convincing football and could only finish second behind Colombia.

Belgium continue their sensitive generational transition and clearly disappointed hopes with just 5 points despite securing top spot in their group ahead of Egypt, and even Germany, despite topping their group, didn’t have an entirely encouraging performance.

France’s next opponents, Sweden, qualified without an impressive performance, finishing third behind Japan and Holland, with just one win over Tunisia (5-1).

Croatia, on the other hand, strengthened their position with a hard-fought win over Ghana, but still rely heavily on Luka Modric and his senior generation of players.

Regardless of individual performances, this round of the group stage essentially confirms that the gap between Europe and the rest of the continent is constantly shrinking.

Africa in particular is witnessing historic participation in the World Cup, with nine teams qualifying for the round of 32, while several teams from Asia and South America have confirmed their promotion.

Therefore, the new system consisting of 48 teams does not completely hide the difficulties faced by some European countries. Although the Old Continent retains its most obvious candidates for victory, it does not enter this final stage with the same composure as in previous games, although France has established itself as the dominant force in this World Cup.