Six of the eight quarter-finalists at the 2026 World Cup are European sides — Belgium, England, France, Norway, Spain and Switzerland — a level of dominance not seen at a tournament outside Europe since 1994. This matters because European teams have historically struggled to win World Cups staged beyond their own continent, triumphing only twice since 1930, so 2026 could produce a rare exception.

After a slow start in which seven of the first ten European sides failed to win their opening group game, European teams finished the group stage with 17 wins against non-European opponents and impressed in the knockouts, England overcoming altitude and a hostile crowd against Mexico. Europe benefits from having 16 places and five of the top eight in the world rankings, yet its showing is still notable given Brazil and all three North American co-hosts have been eliminated. France are living up to their favourites tag with Kylian Mbappe among the Golden Boot contenders, while Norway and Switzerland have exceeded expectations.