Ranking the Final 16 Teams in the World Cup

After counting down the years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds, the 2014 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 12 in Sao Paulo, with Brazil defeating Croatia 3-1. Since that opening whistle, there has been a group stage record 136 goals scored in Brazil, a defending champion has been sent packing, and there have been plenty of other surprises along the way. The Round of 16 will kickoff tomorrow, with Brazil taking on fellow South Americans Chile, and all 16 remaining teams know that it is time to do, or they will die.

Some roads have been easier than others, as France and Colombia rarely, if ever, looked troubled in the group stage. While Algeria, Uruguay, and the United States were among those who had to wait until their final group matchdays to secure their advancement to the next phase of the tournament. No matter the path, though, the end result is the same for these 16 nations, as they all have a one-off to chance to either live up to the hype or provide an in improbable upset.

Don't have time to analyze all the squads before the action? No worries, we did it for you by Ranking the Final 16 Teams in the World Cup.

Nigeria is the least impressive team to advance. Bosnia and Herzegovina was the only nation they defeated, and they drew Iran, finishing two matches with one goal scored, and none allowed. A 3-2 barn-burning loss to Argentina brought them to the middle of the pack in chances created (29 for 17th overall), which will give them confidence going forward.

France, however, has dismantled weaker sides like Nigeria, so their stay in Brazil may end soon.

The Swiss narrowly escaped their Group E opener against Ecuador thanks to a last minute goal from Haris Seferovic. They then got thumped by France 5-2 in their second match, and secured progression into the Round of 16 thanks to a 3-0 victory over a very lackluster Honduras squad on the final day of the group. Group E was weak by all conceivable measures, and despite their best player Xherdan Shaqiri scoring a hat trick in that final group match, they will now meet Messi and Argentina in the first knockout round.

Something tells us this is not going to end well for the team in red and white.

The Desert Foxes are set for their first appearance in the Round of 16 in team history, and It's been an interesting campaign for the Algerians. They began with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Group H winners, Belgium, then exploded for four goals against Korea, and secured their progression with a 1-1 draw against Russia on the final group matchday. Before the tournament, it was all about forward Sofiane Feghouli, who plays for Valencia in Spain, and midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, who made his debut for Tottenham Hotspur this past season. Going into the Round of 16, though, it's clear that forward Islam Slimani has been the man to step up when it mattered most.

He scored the vital equalizer against Russia, as well as the opener against Korea. Algeria will come up against the machine that is Germany in the Round of 16, and anything other than a victory for the Europeans is hard to fathom.

Portugal is in the rearview mirror, but that soul-twisting feeling hasn't departed yet. Advancing to the Round of 16—out of the Group of Death no less—gives the United States a sexy resume. They haven't played the cleanest, most beautiful soccer but the United States never has, and Jurgen Klinsmann can't change that overnight. Only Iran has had less possession overall, and they've attempted 41 long balls. They play grinding soccer for 80 minutes, but have the wherewithal to produce 10 minutes of classy passing and a goal or two.

Breakout performances from Kyle Beckerman, Jermaine Jones (who's really played as an auxiliary winger, or a destroyer-winger if you will), Fabian Johnson, and Omar Gonzalez have righted Michael Bradley's failures to connect the midfield to Clint Dempsey. Bring on Belgium (who aren't really looking that much better.)

The 'golden generation' heads into the Round of 16 as winners of Group H, having won all three of their group matches. But how much is that really saying? Belgium needed two goals from substitutes to avoid a shock opening defeat to Algeria, and defeated Russia in the second group match thanks to an 88th minute winner from 19-year-old Divock Origi. That being said, Eden Hazard has shown the quality that made him the PFA Young Player of the Year in England this past season, as he continues to be their main man in the middle.

Belgium has the firepower, it seems only a question of whether or not they can unleash it in the first half of matches. Slight favorites to go through to the last eight, their Round of 16 matchup with the United States should offer a very open and attacking affair.

Well, well, well who would've thought that in a group with three past World Cup champions, it would be Costa Rica to not only advance, but finish ahead of Uruguay, Italy, and England as group winners? Los Ticos started off their campaign with a 3-1 take down of a Luis Suarez-less Uruguay, and the world got a real look at a man who impressed with Olympiacos this season in striker Joel Campbell. While an opening victory was worth celebrating, Costa Rica kept their feet on the ground and put in an impressive performance to earn a 1-0 victory over Italy, ensuring their progression to the Round of 16 before their final group match with England.

Costa Rica allowed just one goal throughout group play, and that was an Edinson Cavani penalty netted in the opening half of their opening group match. A Round of 16 matchup with Greece is looking very favorable for the CONCACAF side, who will look to continue their Cinderella run.

Chile impressed by making it out of what we think was the real group of death, alongside the likes of the Netherlands, defending world champion Spain, and feisty competitors Australia. They began their campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over the Socceroos, before dispatching a disappointing Spain 2-0 to secure their progression into the Round of 16. They lost their final match against Group B winners Holland, which proved crucial as they now face Brazil in the Round of 16 instead of Mexico. Led by Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas up top, both of whom scored against Australia and Spain, respectively, Chile will need to call on a midfield and defense of Arturo Vidal, Jean Beausejour, Marcelo Diaz, Gary Medel, Mauricio Isla, and Jose Rojas if they intend to pose any sort of challenge to tournament favorites Brazil.

Vidal in particular needs to really step up, he's being mentioned as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the game, and now is the moment for him to live up to that billing.

After flaming out of the World Cup in 2010 due to infighting, France has slowly recaptured their mojo. The post-Zidane hangover is clear. Franck Ribery missing the tournament with an injury hasn't slowed the French down that much—they've netted eight goals so far, but a 0-0 draw against Ecuador was a disappointing result. Their midfield alchemy of Paul Pogbo, Yohan Cabaye, and Blaise Matuidi has been a true force, and Karim Benzema is a Golden Boot contender. Don't be surprised if they upset Germany in a potential quarterfinal matchup.

Their Group Stage resume, however, may be most telling: the French beat Honduras and Switzerland, so how much stock can we realistically buy with this team? That potential clash with Germany would be their first match against a team listed in this Top 15. Nigeria's up next.

Has their been a better story at this World Cup than Colombia? The South American nation had a favorable group with Greece, Cote d'Ivoire, and Japan, but the loss of star striker Radamel Falcao before the tournament put many in doubt of their World Cup advancement. Enter James Rodriguez. Rodriguez is a 22-year-old attacking midfielder, who impressed with Monaco in France's top flight this past season, but was far from a name on everyone's radar before the tournament began in Brazil. Just a few weeks later, and Rodriguez is being mentioned alongside Messi, Neymar, and Benzema as one of the best in the game. He's scored in all three of Colombia's group matches, and pulled the strings while doing so.

Joined by the likes of Juan Cuadraro and Jackson Martinez up front, while supported by Pablo Armero, Christian Zapata, and Mario Yepes at the back, this Colombia squad is looking very much like the complete package.

A Round of 16 matchup against a Suarez-less Uruguay is next for a team that could be looking at Brazil in the quarters.

Lionel Messi bagged four goals of great degrees of difficulty, willing Argentina through three Group Stage wins. His striking commrades Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria, and Sergio Aguero have had their chances—you'd expect all of them to finish at least one opportunity, but all three remain scoreless. Messi isn't sweating the extra load though, and has produced his best World Cup form yet. It'll be hard to argue against Argentina riding the best player in the world (with some help from his still scoreless supporting cast) deep into the tournament.

Their next match against Switzerland might be a cream puff for his cast to feast on.

No European team has ever won the World Cup on South American soil, but Germany looks every bit capable of making history. Joachim Low's side began their campaign with a clinical 4-0 beat down of Ronaldo's Portugal, before finding themselves in a dog fight with Ghana. They drew that match 2-2, which was probably fair on both sides, and steadied their nerves for a complete performance on their final group day which resulted in a 1-0 victory over the United States.

Germany pokes and prods at defenses, and are arguably the most patient team at this World Cup. Their rock-solid defense of Hummels, Mertesacker, Hoewedes, and Boateng rarely let an offensive attack gather steam, and even when they do, they are backed up by one of the world's best with Manuel Neuer in goal.

Ozil, Mueller, Goetze, Kroos, Podolski, Klose, and Schuerrle are all more than capable of scoring at any time in a match, and a Round of 16 matchup against Algeria is looking very favorable for the side that finished third at the 2010 World Cup.

A quarterfinal matchup against France should follow, and we cannot wait.

The Dutch are back and flying high once more. Coming into Brazil, they were in an odd situation: They were World Cup runners-up in 2010, but they had seen the quality of play decline, eventually leading to their destruction at Euro 2012. A European nation with a high pedigree and storied history, expectations in 2014 were, relatively speaking, low.

Louis van Gaal, however, has given the same squad a fresh retro look. He's playing with wingbacks, refueling Arjen Robben's international career, and mounding Robin van Persie back into form. They were the only European team to win all of their Group Stage matches, finishing 10-3 on aggregate. The defense may still harbor doubt, but there's no reason to think that they can't make a run back into the final again.

Argentina figures to be the only side of similar quality in their half of the bracket.

Five-time World Cup champions, tournament hosts, and pre-tournament favorites, this Brazil side really is playing with the weight of a nation on it's back. The good news for Seleccao is that throughout the group stage they have not only looked up to the task, they have improved with each performance.

Things got off to a less than ideal start in Sao Paulo on June 12, after going behind to an early Marcelo own-goal. Since then, though, Neymar and company haven't looked back. They won that opening match with Croatia 3-1, were held to a 0-0 draw against Mexico, thanks mostly to the heroics of Guillermo Ochoa in goal for the Mexicans, and played with every bit of the attacking flair desired in their final Group A match against Cameroon.

Speaking of Neymar, who undoubtedly will feel the heaviest load at this tournament, the forward already has four goals through the group stage, tied for first in the Golden Boot race alongside Messi and Muller.

Brazil will look to carry their momentum from the Cameroon match into their Round of 16 fight with fellow South American's Chile, as they will kick off the knockout round, as they did the group stage, and look for victory once more.