The World Cup is on the first of three mini breaks in the tournament. With the last 16 matches completed on Tuesday, there are two days without football until the quarter-finals begin on Friday.
The quarter-final lineup was completed when Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 to set up a last eight meeting with Morocco. Elsewhere England will face France, Brazil will take on Croatia and the Netherlands will play Argentina.
For all the concern and consternation ahead of the tournament over Qatar's human rights and LGBTQ+ issues, what has happened on the pitch has been highly entertaining.
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Germany were knocked out in the group stage, Argentina went through despite losing to Saudi Arabia in their first game, while Japan topped a group that included both Germany and Spain. The Spanish then went on to lose to Morocco in the last 16.
The World Cup on the pitch has certainly lived up to expectations, even if there continues to be anger and unrest over the location of the tournament.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino made headlines before a ball had been kicked with an hour-long monologue about the tournament, backing the hosting of it in Qatar. In it he said: "For what we Europeans have been doing around the world in the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.
"Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel (like) a migrant worker. Of course I am not Qatari, I am not an Arab, I am not African, I am not gay, I am not disabled. But I feel like it, because I know what it means to be discriminated, to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country."
And Infantino has been making comments about the tournament now we are on a short break. Comments that are bold and in one sense a little bizarre too.
Speaking to FIFA.com he said: "I have seen all the matches, indeed, and put very simply and very clearly, this has been the best group stage of a FIFA World Cup ever. So, it’s very promising for the remainder of the FIFA World Cup."
Calling it the best group stage of a World Cup ever is a bold claim, given everything that has happened in history. While saying he has seen all the matches is a little bizarre, given the final matches in the group were played at the same time and he could only be at one of them. Of course, he could have watched the other matches back afterwards, or seen highlights, and that could be what he is referring to.
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