The first Round of 32 in World Cup history is here. There’s a real debate over whether it will be good for the tournament | CNN

Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.

Welcome to the first full week of World Cup knockout matches, where dreams will be made and hearts broken all across North America and the world. The jeopardy of knockout soccer only adds to the intensity and this is where the weaker teams get found out. There is nowhere to hide anymore and it usually contributes to pure cinema.

We have three Round of 32 matches again for you today, including two that will really whet the appetite – involving the likes of five-time world champion Brazil. But while some are getting excited for the week’s action, others are running out of patience until we see the big heavyweights come face-to-face. And that’s where we’ll start today.

The Main Thing: Is the Round of 32 good for the World Cup?

We love a debate here on The Beautiful Game. Can the USA win the World Cup? Are the silly hydration breaks a good or bad thing? And today, we have another: Does the Round of 32 make this World Cup better?