World Cup bracket is complete, and one side is absolutely loaded

With the group stage over and the 16 teams moving on to the World Cup's knockout stage established, attention has turned to the different paths each contender will travel down en route to the final on July 15.

For some, like Group G winner Belgium, that journey looks frighteningly treacherous. For others, like Group G runner-up England, relatively smooth sailing awaits.

(Courtesy: FIFA World Cup)

The group stage is designed to send advancing teams to opposite sides of the bracket, and this usually results in relative parity. This World Cup, however, a combination of top teams underperforming and a pure luck of the draw has resulted in two wildly uneven halves.

That left side of the bracket, dubbed the "side of death," boasts five of the top seven teams in the world, according to FIFA's rankings. Brazil (2), Belgium (3), Portugal (4), Argentina (5), and France (7), have eight World Cup titles among them. The only team ranked outside the top 15 in the world on the left side is Japan (61).

The far less arduous right side includes only two of the top ten teams in the world in Switzerland (6) and Spain (10). It also has three teams ranked 20th or lower, including Russia, all the way down at No. 70. The eight teams on the right have combined for just two World Cup titles (England in 1966 and Spain in 2010).

Of course, none of this ensures the path to the final for teams on the right is easier. Croatia and Colombia don't have World Cup titles, but should be deemed legitimate contenders. Recall that Spain was a perennial underachiever until suddenly it wasn't in 2010.