All 32 teams started the 2022 FIFA World Cup with one goal: get to the knockout rounds.
Any player and coach will tell you that, in the single-elimination knockout stage, anything can happen. That’s why teams don’t care how they get there. They just want to get there.
Some paths will prove easier than others in the knockouts depending on the teams that qualify and the final pairings. The Round of 16 matchups are all predetermined with teams slotting in based on their finish in their respective groups (group winner or group runner-up).
Those nations that win their group are paired with a runner-up from a different group in the Round of 16 and a favorable first match can really set a team on its way to a deep run.
The Sporting News lays out all you need to know about the upcoming start to the knockout rounds.
MORE: Updated FIFA World Cup group standings
Teams in Round of 16
France became the first side to reach the Round of 16 on November 26 and since then seven other sides have followed them.
Brazil and Portugal also mathematically qualified after just two matchdays, but they’re still waiting to see if they’ll go through as a group winner or group runner-up. Meanwhile, Groups A, B and D were the first to wrap up play.
The Sporting News will update the table below as the nations secure places.
| Group Winner | Runner-up | |
| Group A | Netherlands | Senegal |
| Group B | England | USA |
| Group C | Argentina | Poland |
| Group D | France | Australia |
| Group E | ||
| Group F | ||
| Group G | ||
| Group H |
MORE: Which teams have been eliminated at the 2022 World Cup?
World Cup Round of 16 fixtures
The matchups in the Round of 16 are predetermined and the bracket gets filled out as teams clinch first or second place in their respective groups.
World Cup Round of 16
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) | Stadium |
| Sat, Dec. 3 | Netherlands vs. USA | 10 a.m. / 3 p.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
| Sat, Dec. 3 | Argentina vs. Australia | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Sun, Dec. 4 | France vs. Poland | 10 a.m. / 3 p.m. | Al Thumama |
| Sun, Dec. 4 | England vs. Senegal | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. | Al Bayt |
| Mon, Dec. 5 | 1E vs. 2F | 10 a.m. / 3 p.m. | Al Janoub |
| Mon, Dec. 5 | 1G vs. 2H | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. | Stadium 974 |
| Tue, Dec. 6 | 1F vs. 2E | 10 a.m. / 3 p.m. | Education City |
| Tue, Dec. 6 | 1H vs. 2G | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. | Lusail |
MORE: Complete knockout round schedule through to the final
World Cup bracket Round of 16
The bracket below comes in two sides. And each will produce a World Cup finalist.
One side of the bracket features the following teams, from which a finalist will emerge:
- Netherlands (Group A winner)
- USA (Group B runner-up)
- Group C winner
- Australia (Group D runner-up)
- Group E winner
- Group F runner-up
- Group G winner
- Group H runner-up
The other side of the bracket will produce the other World Cup finalist from the following list:
- Senegal (Group A runner-up)
- England (Group B winner)
- Group C runner-up
- France (Group D winner)
- Group E runner-up
- Group F winner
- Group G runner-up
- Group H winner
MORE: Which team has won the most World Cups in history?
How does Round of 16 work in World Cup?
The Round of 16 is the start of what is commonly referred to as the knockout rounds because every match is single elimination from here on out.
There are no points earned. There are no standings. There’s simply a winner and a loser.
What happens if knockout matches finish tied?
There has to be a winner on the day in the case of each Round of 16 match and for subsequent knockout-round matches. If teams are tied after 90 minutes of regulation, the match goes into a 30-minute period of extra time.
If the deadlock persists after those 30 minutes of extra time, then a penalty shootout will determine the team that moves on to the quarterfinals.
The Round of 16 pairings are set in advance of the World Cup Draw. Teams that finish in first place in the group stage match up against teams that are runners-up in their respective groups.
How teams advance in World Cup
There are 32 teams that reach the World Cup after emerging from qualifying matches in their respective regions.
Group Stage
Once they get to the World Cup, the first obstacle awaiting them is the group stage. In 2022, the 32 teams were split up into eight groups of four teams each.
The group stage consists of typical round-robin group play with each team playing the other three once. Three points are awarded for every win in the group stage, one for a draw, and none for a loss.
The top two finishers in each group advance to the knockout stage with each group winner and runner-up slotted into a predetermined bracket that starts with the Round of 16.
Knockout Rounds
Beginning with the Round of 16 through to the final, every match is single elimination. Teams advance from the Round of 16 to the quarterfinals, then to the semifinals, and lastly to the final.
As explained above, if teams are tied at the end of the 90 minutes of regulation, the teams play 30 minutes of extra time followed by a penalty shootout, if necessary.
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