Desert fest: Are upsets worth the trade-off?

While some stunning upsets have dominated headlines throughout the 2022 World Cup, not least Japan's stunning 2-1 win over Spain on Thursday, neutrals must decide whether a giant-killing is a worthy opportunity cost for missing once-in-a-decade encounters as the round of 16 starts tonight.

Club football's pinnacle tournament, the Champions League, pits Europe's most dominant forces against each other on a yearly basis, which can lead to a bit of boredom as the same elites largely tend to make the latter rounds. That makes the prospect of a fairy-tale run, such as Sevilla's and Ajax's march to the latter stages in recent years, more exciting because of the unpredictability it brings.

However, with the World Cup rolling around only once every four years, not only does the waiting make the ties more enticing, but the pre-determined bracket means that a Brazil-Argentina clash is, more often than not, a flight of fancy.

In fact, after being drawn in the same group of the 1974, 1978 and 1982 World Cups, Argentina and Brazil have played each other just once -- in 1990, when Diego Maradona's Albiceleste triumphed over Selecao in what so far has been their solitary clash in the knockout stages.

This time around, however, conditions are conducive -- upsets notwithstanding -- to the perfect storm.

The quarterfinals of 2022 could be the most tantalising ever, especially with Brazil and Argentina bunched into one side of the bracket. If everything goes according to plan and the South Americans win, one potential quarterfinal will see Argentina take on the Netherlands.

The other promises giant-killing Japan -- whose win against Germany ultimately KO'd the four-time champions -- a shot at the apex predator's scalp if they can make it past 2018 finalists Croatia and set up a date with Brazil.

It also perfectly tees up an Argentina-Brazil semifinal.

But despite two of the favourites being on one side of the bracket, reigning champions France will not have it easy. Their side of the bracket features the likes of Portugal, Spain, and England.

First, Didier Deschamps' team will be up against Poland. Many neutrals would hope France can dismantle the Poles, given how uninspiring their performance against Argentina was. France could likely meet England in the quarterfinals if Gareth Southgate's team can get past African champions Senegal.

Meanwhile, Spain will face Morocco, who have come to the round of 16 unbeaten and emerged as Group F toppers above Croatia and star-studded Belgium. If La Furia Roja make it through, it may set up a feisty quarterfinal against Portugal.

In terms of the semi-finalists from this side of things, any combination of these four teams promises an exciting match. France-Spain offers a rematch of a 2006 World Cup classic while England-Portugal has its own charms, like presenting Cristiano Ronaldo the chance to celebrate with a simple wink.

Of course, the biggest reason to want the best teams in the latter stages is purely for entertainment value.

Underdogs do not often battle their way into the last 16 like Japan. A more common approach is the pragmatic option taken in 2022 by teams like Morocco and Poland. They tend to double down on such tactics, and lead towards a more conservative side, when stakes are as high as the World Cup knockouts.

That trend can be observed in the 2002 World Cup, when Argentina, France and Portugal crashed out in the group stages while Italy lost to co-hosts South Korea in farcical fashion in the round of 16.

Afterwards, the only time two of the bigger teams clashed in that edition was when Brazil beat England in the quarterfinals and when Brazil beat Germany in the final. Interestingly, from the quarterfinals onwards, those were the only two matches when more than one goal was scored while all the other matches either ended 1-0 or 0-0.

That indicates, giants going out against the tide may provide a burst of excitement for fans of rivals, but ultimately it deprives neutrals of the best possible entertainment on the field.

And when the choices are between the aforementioned match-ups like a Brazil-Argentina semifinal or even a Ronaldo-Messi final, the last thing anyone needs is an underdog throwing a wrench into those plans.