Determining the true quality of a team midway through an international tournament can be challenging, especially when different teams face opponents of varying strengths. However, given the performances of Germany and Spain during the group stages and the Round of 16 at Euro 2024, it’s hard to argue that these two teams aren’t among the very best.

The fact that Italy and Belgium, who were considered strong contenders before the tournament, have already been knocked out, while England and France have been inconsistent, underscores the lack of competition. Meanwhile, Portugal and the Netherlands have shown flashes of brilliance but have been inconsistent overall.

Spain has consistently impressed, achieving success with the speed of their wingers and securing a group stage victory over Albania without a noticeable drop in quality, even after rotating their squad significantly. They seem to have captured the vibe of 2008, and there is a sense that Spain might be the primary favorite for the tournament.

Germany, on the other hand, has appeared more nervous but boasts strong midfield control and a wide range of attacking options. Opinions vary, but it’s arguable that four of the best players in the tournament — Nico Williams, Fabian Ruiz, Toni Kroos, and Jamal Musiala — play for these two teams.

Now, we are set for a unique event: two of the best teams in the tournament facing each other in the quarterfinals. Euro 2024 has generally left a positive impression, though its spectacle might be compromised by the "lopsided" draw — a concept that also affected Euro 2016, the 2018 World Cup, and Euro 2020.

However, there are benefits to having more top teams in one half of the draw. It leads to thrilling clashes between real rivals early on and increases the chances of an underdog advancing further than usual. This tournament has been as much about the heroic "lesser" teams as it has been about the trophy contenders.

Consider this: by the semifinals, if you have two high-quality teams and two average teams, the lopsided draw would mean four highly competitive matches rather than four predictable ones. The final might be slightly unbalanced, but the final is always an event in itself and rarely won decisively and spectacularly.

International tournaments, however, are different. Single-match showdowns take place on neutral grounds, and tournaments are less frequent. When it seems like only two truly high-class teams are competing, you’d likely want them to play each other later than the quarterfinal stage, which seems unprecedented in the context of World Cups and European Championships. But is it?

Firstly, it’s worth noting that this "early final" is only happening at this stage because of the tournament's expansion to 24 teams starting with Euro 2016. Previously, in four groups of four teams, the winners would meet the runners-up, and thus, if the two most impressive teams did win their groups, they would not meet until the semifinals.

Only in tournaments with 24 or 32 teams could a "big two" meet in the quarterfinals and beyond. Before 1982, the World Cup was held with 16 teams.

So, when could a quarterfinal meeting between the two strongest teams in the 24-team era have occurred? At the 1986 World Cup, Brazil, Argentina, and France were probably the three highest-rated teams, but France did not win their group. They met Brazil in the quarterfinals, with France winning on penalties. However, for a match between the two strongest teams, Diego Maradona's Argentina would have had to play one of them, which they didn’t.

At the 1990 World Cup, two pre-tournament favorites — Argentina and the Netherlands — only made it to the playoffs as the best third-placed teams. Thus, although Argentina vs. Brazil 1:0 and West Germany vs. Netherlands 2:1 were unusually significant second-round matches, it’s hard to argue against the clear favorite and underdog dynamic in the quarterfinals.

In 2016, there was also a lopsided draw. Portugal won the tournament but barely made it to the quarterfinals with three group-stage draws and an extra-time win in the second round. Germany, Italy, and France were probably the most popular teams, making Germany’s penalty shootout victory over Italy in the quarterfinals a remarkably high-quality match. But the hosts and favorites, France, deservedly beat Germany in the semifinals.

Finally, in 2020, Italy, Spain, France, and England were the four teams considered favorites. Their only encounters — Italy’s penalty shootout victories over Spain and England — came in the semifinals and final, as expected.

Therefore, the upcoming quarterfinal is indeed unusual. Two of the most impressive teams in a major international tournament will face each other earlier than ever. Of course, there is no guarantee that the winner will go on to win the tournament or even reach the final, as France or Portugal will try to stop them in the semifinals, making the "true final" label somewhat presumptuous.