It's almost always obvious when a team hasn't prepared thoroughly for a match, but sometimes, it doesn't have a choice. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup and going into the group stage, teams had months to scout their upcoming opponents. Months to build as elite a roster as possible, months to pour through film, months to strategize. But that's a luxury afforded to only group-stage matches. When it comes to the World Cup knockout rounds, the scouting window shrinks to days — and usually not very many. "The fact that in this World Cup, with the new format [and] there's eight third-place teams, that m...
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