AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina on the third day of the tournament. Then Japan beat Germany, Tunisia held Denmark and Canada outplayed second-ranked Belgium in an unlucky loss. It seemed at that point like this unconventional World Cup—crammed into the middle of the European club season with scant time to prepare, and into this tiny country with scant soccer tradition—would deliver a historic haul of surprising results.
And it has, as long as one understands what constitutes a “surprise” in the elitist environment of FIFA’s World Cup. If you’re looking for a revolution, look elsewhere.
It’s noteworthy that African teams have already won six matches here in Qatar. That’s a record (four was the previous high). And it’s significant that six nations from beyond the Europe–South America duopoly that dominates the global game were among the last 16. That’s also a record. The second round featured teams from five confederations and six continents (Australia plays as an Asian side).
