And then there was 16. With 48 matches compressed into 12 days, it's been a thrill-ride of a group stage which culminated in the World Cup contenders being halved.
There has been some significant casualties with Belgium, Germany, Uruguay and Mexico the high-profile exits, and hosts Qatar finishing pointless. While Japan, Morocco, South Korea and Australia have all captured the imagination with their progress.
Switzerland were the last side to make it through, following their 3-2 win over Serbia, while England emerge with the best record from the opening round of the competition.
