The World Cup is getting hot. If you haven’t been watching, this will catch you up.

Update: France defeated Uruguay, 2-0, on Friday.

In the blink of an eye, the World Cup field has been trimmed to eight. This year’s tournament is defined by bundles of extra-time heroics, a few surprising group stage upsets, and a whole lot of heartbreak.

What will the final stretch hold? Here’s what you need to know about the remaining eight teams as the quarterfinals kick off Friday morning.

France

Next up

: vs. Uruguay, Friday, 10 a.m.

Outlook: Headlines, commercials, and the like touted Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the can’t-miss performers in the 2018 World Cup. No longer. Both stars were sent packing in the Round of 16, paving the way for French forward Kylian Mbappe to pick up the slack. Though lacking in name recognition, the 19-year old is on a path destined for stardom and fame. The lightning-quick Mbappe scored two goals in five minutes in the second half vs. Argentina. Add in dynamic runs courtesy of forward Olivier Giroud and the French attack will prompt nightmares.

Uruguay

Next up

: vs. France, Friday, 10 a.m.

Outlook: Uruguay may provide the perfect antidote to France’s punishing offense. Though Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani scramble opposing defensive schemes with regularity, it’s Uruguay’s sturdy and uncompromising defense that led them to the quarterfinals. The team did not allow a goal during the group state, then hushed Ronaldo in a 2-1 victory over Portugal to book a date with France. Quietly humming along as others garner more buzz, Uruguay could be a sneaky title pick should it survive Friday morning’s difficult test.

Brazil

Next up

: vs. Belgium, Friday, 2 p.m.

Outlook: One of the favorites of the remaining eight, Brazil has yet to be tested in any major way, its toughest match of the tournament occurring on June 17 in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland. Brazil eased past Mexico, 2-0, to reach the quarterfinals. Should Brazil compile another multi-goal lead, there are other ways to keep from dozing off. A recent story from The Guardian concluded that Brazil’s star goal-scorer Neymar has spent nearly 14 minutes lying and rolling around on the grass this tournament in hopes of garnering sympathy from referees. Keep a stopwatch handy should you tune in Friday afternoon.

Belgium

Next up

: vs. Brazil, Friday, 2 p.m.

Outlook: Belgium participated in a wild affair in the Round of 16, becoming the first team to come back from a two-goal deficit in the knockout stage since West Germany defeated England in 1970. Down 2-0 to Japan as the second half ticked away, Belgium displayed its grittiness by ripping off goals in the 69th and 74th minutes to tie. The men in red and yellow then added to this tournament’s extra-time craziness with a stunning go-ahead goal courtesy of Nacer Chadli. Brazil will serve as Belgium’s biggest test when they meet Friday afternoon.

England

Next up

: vs. Sweden, Saturday, 10 a.m.

Outlook: Forward Jamie Vardy has missed most of England’s training and appears unlikely to be ready for Saturday’s battle with Sweden. Vardy injured his groin on Tuesday after going on as a substitute in the 88th minute of England’s penalty shootout victory over Colombia in the round of 16. Though forward Harry Kane rightfully basks in the spotlight for his exploits on the field, don’t discount the impact of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, whose influence was felt on the sidelines during Spain’s World Cup triumph in 2010 and Germany’s four years later. Now, Guardiola’s impact is propelling England as three City players – Raheem Sterling, John Stones, and Kyle Walker – have served as integral pieces amid England’s charge to the quarters.

Sweden

Next up

: vs. England, Saturday, 10 a.m.

Outlook: At certain different checkpoints in one’s life, everything seems to come at a person at once. Such is the case for Swedish captain Andreas Granqvist, who has become a father again, one day before leading his team against England in a World Cup quarterfinal. Granqvist’s wife, Sofie, announced on her Instagram account their daughter’s birth at 12:36 a.m. on Friday in Sweden. Luckily for his teammates, Granqvist has his wife’s blessing to stay in Russia until the end of Sweden’s surprise deep run in the tournament. Now the team stares down another sizzling club in England on Saturday for a berth in the semifinals.

Russia

Next up

: vs. Croatia, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Outlook: The home team has enjoyed rosy results this year. Russia upset Spain in the Round of 16, advancing on penalties in a hotly contested affair. Meanwhile Russian president Vladimir Putin says the World Cup has helped combat negative stereotypes about Russia and showed the country to be a welcoming place. Putin made the comments on Friday when he was hosting FIFA president Gianni Infantino and some soccer greats at the Kremlin. Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was the hero against Spain, batting away penalty attempts from Koke and Iago Aspas to spark a celebratory scene.

Croatia

Next up

: vs. Russia, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Outlook: Twenty years ago, Croatia made its World Cup debut with a result that happened only once previously in the tournament’s history and has never been topped. Finishing in third place the first time it participated in soccer’s biggest showcase set a lofty standard. The current squad of stars such as Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Mario Mandzukic, and Ivan Rakitic will be held in the same esteem as the stars of ‘98 such as Davor Suker, Zvonimir Boban and Slaven Bilic with one more victory. Croatia squeaked past Denmark in the Round of 16, advancing on penalties after full time beckoned and found the contest knotted 1-apiece.

The rest of the tournament

Semifinals:

France-Uruguay winner vs. Brazil-Belgium winner, Tuesday, 2 p.m.; Russia-Croatia winner vs. Sweden-England winner, Wednesday, 2 p.m.

Third-place game: July 14, 10 a.m.

Final: July 15, 11 a.m.