CWC Pressure Cooker Rankings: Real Madrid are feeling the heat, it's Bayern Munich's time to shine - but not everyone is stressing

The cool kids call it "the unction." Basically, it's a nice way of saying that people, specifically athletes, are old and still good. Introducing, then, a 40-year-old Thiago Silva, who remains remarkably effective at this sport despite his age.

No, the Brazilian couldn't cut it in the Premier League anymore. Nowhere else in Europe suited him for his final years. But a soiree in the hard-nosed football he grew up on? You bet. He has led Fluminense magnificently from the back this tournament, and the team that finished 13th in Brazil's top flight last year has taken on this tournament wonderfully.

Anything more seems a bonus.

Every year, a hungry European team peers over the Palmeiras system and picks their favorite forward. Real Madrid did it with Endrick. Chelsea did it with Estevao. Allan - or perhaps someone even younger you haven't heard of - could be next. The point is, European clubs spend big on teenagers nowadays, and Palmeiras are a fine breeding ground for them.

The interesting thing with this iteration of Palmeiras is that their jewel, Estevao, has opted to stay with the team through the CWC. He really should be playing for Chelsea by now, or at least sent on loan to some random French club.

Point is, Chelsea don't want him playing against them on Friday night. So much for that. Estevao is playing against his parent club, and it could be a fascinating matchup. Is this the guy who will tear up Premier League defenses for years?

Saudi Pro League sides and major competitions are always interesting. These are the guys who have been spending money, pinching the players that might have just had a little more to give in Europe. They want your athletes, and they also want to show that they belong here.

The World Cup will be on their shores in 2034. By then, they want to be a global superpower so strong that even European teams fear them.

A win against Man City showed that such an attitude may not be too far removed from the truth. Al Hilal executed their game plan perfectly, and even though they needed extra time to see of Pep Guardiola's side, a massive upset has never felt so easy to manage.

The issue now is how far they can go. Fluminense are a fascinating opponent, if only because they play without ego. But expectations have been set high by the City win. They've beaten one of the favorites - surely the sky is the limit now?

The only reason PSG aren't higher up is that they play with such a carefree verve. They are the best team in the world, and they know it. They run like they know it. They press like they know it. They score like they know it. They win like they know it.

Even in the Champions League final - just a month ago! - they strolled into a matchup against a vastly more experienced Inter team and tore them apart. It was too easy. And there's a foreboding sense that they just might treat the rest of this competition the same way.

Of course, the games only get trickier from here. Madrid are likely semifinal opponents. But these guys play like it doesn't matter who they're kicking a ball against.

Had the draw been kinder, Dortmund would have been under more pressure. But they did well to get by a good Monterrey side, and when you zoom out, can take heart from beating a good Mamelodi Sundowns team in the group. And now, what are they supposed to do?

Real Madrid aren't at their swaggering best yet, but Dortmund are clearly a level below the Spanish giants. They are significant underdogs heading into the game at MetLife Stadium. That contest feels far more like Madrid's to lose than Dortmund's to win. If anything, that should give them an extra edge.

Perhaps the only thing working against them is the fact that they will certainly have expectant fans, and as they look to grow their brand in America, they could really use a signature result.

Bayern have a curse of sorts in that they are expected to win everything, but haven't quite enjoyed European success of late. Sure, they were remarkably good under Hansi Flick in 2020, but since then, they have underwhelmed slightly.

This CWC has been a mixed bag. Outside of the battering of semi-pro Auckland City FC, the Bavarians haven't ever really run away with a game - or killed off a match in the way they should.

There are question marks at multiple positions, too. They missed out on Florian Wirtz, and had a bid rejected by Liverpool for winger Luis Diaz. In that light, then, on field performances suddenly feel a little more important. Not much is going right for the higher ups. It's now on the 11 plus on the pitch to change the vibe around the club.

What are Chelsea supposed to take from this? The Blues' hierarchy has spent another summer spending big, and not necessarily in the right areas, either. When they lost to Flamengo in the group stage, everything seemed to be going the wrong way. Enzo Maresca was full of comments about the heat, the ball, the pitch, the general vibe around the tournament.

He made a few good points, but the outside perspective - fair or otherwise - was one of a manager losing focus on the football. Well, that was a couple of weeks ago, and Chelsea find themselves in a pretty good position, all said. They are on the kinder side of the bracket, and Palmeiras was arguably as favorable of a matchup as quarter finals come.

But that, in itself, adds an extra layer of expectation. Chelsea have spent immense amounts of cash over the last three years, and now have what appears to be a simple(ish) road to the CWC final. No way they screw this up, right?

Well, no shockers here. To play for Real Madrid is to embrace pressure. Their ethos was encapsulated by the way Trent Alexander-Arnold gazed at the trophies in the caverns of the Santiago Bernabeu after he signed. "Yes", they seemed to say, "you need to bring in more of us."

And Madrid are on the path, if in a slightly unconvincing manner. The early draw with Al Hilal has been largely forgotten thanks to good performance against solid opposition. They started poorly against Juventus, and a better side might have punished them. Outside of that, though, Los Blancos were solid for 45 minutes. It all seemedvintage Madrid: not necessarily dominant, but assured, and opportunistic when their moment came.

But now the pressure will only increase. This is kind of Los Blancos' thing: they get deep into competitions and then win them. But now they have a new manager and groovy new tactics. It's time to actually do some winning.