England

How It Got Here: By playing dull but effective football. England won its first two group games (against Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago) then tied Sweden to win Group B. With Wayne Rooney working himself back into shape, England relied on long balls to Peter Crouch, which didn't really work. Michael Owen was ineffective before he injured his knee in the early moments of the Sweden game. And central midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard never really got clicking.

What Lies Ahead: An easy match against Ecuador, which is what England needs. It'll give Rooney another game to get fit, and it'll give the team a chance to tinker with the formation. Losing Owen might not be a huge blow; in fact, it might be a blessing in disguise. With the team so thin up top, Sven-Goran Eriksson could go to a 4-5-1, which would allow Lampard and Gerrard to both play attacking roles.

Prediction: England should handle Ecuador, but its quarterfinal game will be a challenge: either Portugal, which dumped England from Euro 2004, or the Netherlands. Chances are, despite what the English fans sing, football ain't coming home.

France

How It Got Here: By skirting every mandatory retirement age in the books. The 1998 champs, who were abysmal in 2002, have been slightly less abysmal this time around. But had France not had such a weak draw, it would have gone home after the group stage for the second straight Cup.

What Lies Ahead: France's just dessert, in the form of Spain.

Prediction: If France's World Cup campaign has shown us anything, it's how good Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is at figuring out when it's time to sell a player. Remember when Patrick Viera was, I don't know, good? It wasn't too long ago. But Wenger sent him to Juventus for a boatload of cash, and we're now seeing just how prudent and timely that move was. Viera has been awful, and France's other aging stars -- Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, who's done little to shed the I-can't-perform-when-it-matters label -- haven't been much better. Watching France is like watching Ali get his ass kicked by Trevor Berbick.

Germany

How It Got Here: By pounding a weak group. The Germans outscored their opponents 8-2 in winning all three of its Group A games.

What Lies Ahead: A test. We know the Germans can run roughshod over the likes of Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador. But will they be able to attack with such ease and grace against a disciplined team like Sweden? They'd better hope so, because if they beat the Swedes, they'll likely get Argentina in the quarters.

Prediction: Sweden they can beat. Argentina? That's a different story.

Ghana

How It Got Here: By manhandling Group E. The Black Stars were fouling machines, roughing up all three of their opponents. But there's more to this team than its passing resemblance to the 1988 Pistons. The midfield is fantastic -- the middies run up the center of the park when they don't have the ball, hunt down whoever does have it and then transition into attacking mode in no time flat. The only thing they lack is a deadly finisher. If midfielder Michael Essien could shoot, we'd now be discussing if he was, in fact, the best player in the world.

What Lies Ahead: Brazil. Oy.

Prediction: The U.S. wasn't the only team to get hosed by referee Markus Merk on Thursday. Before his awful penalty kick call, Merk gave Essien a ridiculously soft yellow -- his second caution of the group, meaning he'll miss the Brazil game. That's too bad, because the man is a class footballer. Without him, Ghana has no chance.