A funny thing happens after the conclusion of a World Cup. The four-year vacuum is sealed, and for almost every competitive national team in the world, there's a reboot of sorts.
For some, there's a minor rejuvenation, either involving an amicable coaching change or the phasing out of a few older players and the introduction of their replacements. For others, there's a larger overhaul, necessitated either by poor results and/or the natural evolution of a player pool, accompanied by a change at the top. For a select and elite few–this time around, think France, Brazil and even Belgium and the remaining years of its golden generation–there's a linear path to continued growth.