The knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup witnessed a striking phenomenon that clearly reflected the disparity in levels between teams at the expanded edition of the tournament: all eight sides that qualified via the best third-place system were eliminated in succession, raising questions about the value of a system introduced to give group-stage teams an additional opportunity — after results demonstrated the superiority of group winners and runners-up in the knockout rounds.
The cull began early in the round of 32, the first knockout stage, where 7 of the 8 teams were eliminated in one fell swoop, among them sides with notable footballing pedigrees such as Sweden, Algeria, Senegal, Ecuador, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ghana, after they ran into more prepared and technically settled opponents who settled the ties either in normal time or after extra time.
The fate of the sole survivor was no different: Paraguay managed to advance past the round of 32, only to face France in the round of 16, where they fell to a 1–0 defeat, bringing the curtain down on the campaigns of all teams that had qualified through the best third-place system.
This collective early exit confirms that the best third-place system, despite granting an additional qualification route from the group stage, places these teams on more difficult paths — with direct encounters against stronger and more settled opponents — which significantly reduces their chances of progressing deep into the tournament.