Now that we've seen each of the nations dubbed as heavyweights heading into this World Cup, we're looking back to see which sides (if any) solidified their status as pre-tournament favourites, and which ones we're ready to abandon in that conversation.
Honourable mentions: Belgium and England, who came into the tournament just outside the top tier of contenders, both have reason to be optimistic after opening-match victories, and could soon find themselves being talked about as legitimate threats to win it all.
5. Germany
So, it turns out that not having a functional midfield makes it difficult to win football matches.
Germany manager Joachim Low opted for a double pivot of Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira against Mexico, and his side was promptly shredded on the counter-attack; a ferocious El Tri approach was key in downing the reigning World Cup champion, but the CONCACAF powerhouse was aided by the total lack of resistance offered by the aforementioned German duo.
Last-ditch tackles saw Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng thwart a host of Mexican attacks - the match could have been a blowout, in truth, had Mexico not squandered countless opportunities - but in the end, getting it right just once, through the exhilarating Hirving Lozano, was enough for Juan Carlos Osorio's men.
Hummels didn't hold back when identifying Die Mannschaft's biggest issue:
He's right, too.
Kroos is arguably the best passing midfielder in the game today, but his continued lack of mobility was on full display Saturday - shielded by the presence of box-to-box supremo Luka Modric and tough-tackling stalwart Casemiro at club level, Kroos' lack of defensive work isn't an issue for Real Madrid. Khedira, especially on his own, offers none of those attributes.
To compensate for Kroos' lack of defensive acumen in a two-man midfield, you need nothing short of N'Golo Kante playing beside him. The Sami Khedira of four or five years ago might have been able to offer some cover, but 2018 Khedira is decidedly not N'Golo Kante.
Combined, the German duo made just one successful tackle against Mexico, and had the same number of interceptions as you did, watching the match from your couch. A change, in either formation or personnel, is needed.
4. Argentina
Four years on, and things look awfully similar to the situation Lionel Messi and Argentina found themselves in during the last edition of this tournament in Brazil; namely, that Messi is being asked to do absolutely everything on his own. Making one of the greatest players ever - arguably the greatest - the focal point of your attack is obviously the right move, but that doesn't mean the rest of the team can just stand around and watch as he faces walls of three and four defenders every time he picks up the ball.
Too often in the disappointing 1-1 draw against Iceland, Messi lacked options as his teammates hung around on the edge of the penalty area and waited for him to conjure up something magical.
He took 11 of his team's 27 shots, and made 48 forward passes in the final third of the pitch - the three attackers who started alongside him, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, and Maximiliano Meza, combined for 27 forward passes in the attacking third. When Messi is superhuman, which, in fairness, is often, that approach is fine. But if he's slightly off-kilter - like he was against the tiny Nordic nation - even he needs help.
(Note to Jorge Sampaoli: Paulo Dybala can provide said help).
Messi scoring from the penalty spot would be nice, too.
3. France
Of the four teams who arrived in Russia tipped as being the true title contenders - Brazil, Germany, Spain, and France - Les Bleus were the only side to actually pick up three points, and yet they may have been the most underwhelming of all.
Much-maligned bench boss Didier Deschamps, who has chopped and changed his personnel so much that he doesn't seem to know what his preferred XI is anymore, went with the free-flowing, interchangeable 4-3-3 that, in theory, should have been an absolute treat to watch. Instead, the attacking trio of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Antoine Griezmann never quite clicked, and ultimately it was Paul Pogba - and a little help from VAR - that bailed out the Euro 2016 finalist against a resolute Australian side.
France has all the talent to dominate this tournament - and international football for years to come - but Deschamps needs to figure this out, and quickly. The obvious fear here, after such a meek opening performance, is that he ditches the aggressive approach and reverts back to the frustratingly conservative one that has long been the source of criticism against him.
2. Spain
Yes, Spain scored three goals in its opening match against Portugal, but, after looking back at the manner in which those tallies arrived, the Spaniards will take solace in knowing that defensive frailties weren't at the heart of the issue. For starters, it was primarily just a case of Cristiano Ronaldo doing Cristiano Ronaldo things.
The early penalty conceded by Nacho was a daft moment of defending, but the Real Madrid defender will likely be replaced by one of the world's best right-backs, club teammate Dani Carvajal, when the latter returns to full fitness, which should solidify that area of the pitch.
Ronaldo's second marker came courtesy of a howler from the typically impenetrable David De Gea - not something that is likely to happen again in this tournament - while his third was an unstoppable free-kick that few players can replicate.
At the other end, meanwhile, the 2010 World Cup champion got a pair of goals from Diego Costa, who came into the competition as the lone attacking question mark - whether his bull-in-china-shop-style would jive with the quick, incisive passing of his diminutive teammates was a legitimate concern about a week ago. Less so now after watching him bully Pepe and Jose Fonte; if anything, his performance showed that Spain has variety in attack, which should worry other tournament heavyweights even more.
1. Brazil
It's not a sexy pick, but the team that arrived in Russia as the favourite to hoist the trophy still looks like the best bet to do just that.
Brazil was held to a 1-1 draw by a typically solid, feisty Switzerland, and despite an encouraging opening half - highlighted by a classic curler from Philippe Coutinho - the Selecao attack was largely stifled in the second stanza until a desperate late flourish.
Part of that was simply down to Switzerland being defensively resolute; Vladimir Petkovic's team always seems to fly under the radar in major tournaments thanks to its lack of panache in attack - common "dark horse" picks are almost always teams with big names up front - but the Swiss remain a very stubborn, difficult team to break down.
Conversely, Valon Behrami and Co. did a good (read: cynical) job of slowing down Neymar, who manager Tite admitted in the build-up to the match is not yet 100 percent fit after returning from a broken foot.
As the Paris Saint-Germain superstar rounds into form, Brazil, which remains the deepest, most balanced team in the competition, will justify its billing as the front-runner.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)