We are reaching the business end of the World Cup group stage with Teams A and B done and dusted. So far, France, Portugal, England, Senegal, the United States, the Netherlands and Brazil have booked their place in the round of 16. Nine more will join them on each team’s final matchday. Qatar also joins South Africa as the only World Cup hosts to fail to make it out of the group stage. Let’s see who can join the trio in the last 16 and what their path is to get there.
Looking at tiebreakers, the start is easy with the team with the most points advancing. If two teams are level on points then it will go to their overall goal difference. If they cannot be separated, the next time the team that has scored the most goals will be the team to advance. The rules will also be applied with head-to-head competition only between the two tied teams. So the total point in the matches is followed by the goal difference in the head-to-head match and the goals scored. If they make it all the way through and you can’t be divided it finally goes to the fair play system.
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The fair play system will see the team with the fewest penalties advance in the games. So a team loses one point for a yellow card, three points for each red card caused by a second yellow card, four points for a straight red card and if a yellow is followed by a straight red card it will count as five points.
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Here are the teams with all the teams that have played two matches
Group A
- Netherlands: Team Winners.
- Senegal: The second place
- Ecuador: Elimination
- Qatar: Elimination
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Group B
- England: The winning team.
- United States: The second place.
- Generation: Elimination.
- Wales: Elimination.
Group C
- Poland: Can win the group and qualify for the round of 16 with a win over Argentina. Can also qualify for the round of 16 with a draw but will only win the group in that case if Saudi Arabia draws or loses to Mexico.
- Argentina: Can qualify for the round of 16 with a win over Poland. You can also qualify for the round of 16 with a draw and a Saudi Arabia draw or a loss by at least three goals against Mexico. Can win the group with a win and a draw or a Saudi Arabia loss.
- Saudi Arabia: Can qualify for the round of 16 with a win over Mexico. It can also be equated with a draw and a loss by Argentina or a loss and Argentina losing by one more goal. (ie Saudi Arabia lose 1-0 and Argentina lose 2-0 will see Saudi Arabia progress
- Mexico: Can qualify for the round of 16 with a victory and Poland’s victory over Argentina. Can also qualify by agree and making goal difference advantages over Poland/Argentina when Argentina beat or draw Poland.
Group D
- France: Eligible for the round of 16. Can win the group with a win or draw against Tunisia or Australia draw or lose.
- Australia: Can qualify for the round of 16 with a win against Denmark. Can also be equated with a draw and a Tunisian draw or loss.
- Denmark: Can qualify for the round of 16 with a win against Australia.
- Tunisia: You can qualify for the round of 16 with a win against France and Australia’s loss to Denmark where Tunisia won by more goals than Denmark. Tunisia can still qualify for the round of 16 with a win over France and a draw with Australia.
Group E
- Spain: Through the last 16 with a win or draw with Japan. Can win the team with a win over Japan. Could also improve with a loss to Japan and a draw between Costa Rica and Germany.
- Japan: Through the last 16 with victory in Spain. Can still progress to the last 16 with a draw against Spain and a draw between Costa Rica and Germany. Could win the group with a win against Spain and have a better goal difference than Costa Rica if they beat Germany.
- Costa Rica: Can progress with a win over Germany and a loss by one of Span/Japan or a draw between the two. Can also improve with draw and loss by Japan. Can win the group with a win, a Spain loss, and a six goal difference between Japan.
- German: Can qualify for the last 16 with a win and a loss by Spain or Japan. Can still continue with the victory by one more goal and draw Japan.
Group F
- Croatia: Can advance to the round of 16 with a win against Belgium. It could also improve with a draw against Belgium and Morocco’s loss to Canada. Can win the team by improving the Morroco result.
- Morocco: Can advance to the round of 16 with a win or draw against Canada. You can also advance to the round of 16 with a loss and a loss by Belgium or a loss, Belgium win, and having a better goal difference than Croatia. Can win the group by improving Croatia’s response and making a goal difference.
- Belgium: Can advance to the round of 16 with a win over Croatia. Can also advance with a draw and loss by Morocco with more than three goals.
- Canada: Out of contention for round 16.
Group G
- Brazil: Through the last 16, you can win the group with a win or draw against Cameroon or a Swiss loss.
- Switzerland: Can make the last 16 with a win or draw against Serbia. Can top the group with a win, Brazil’s loss, and making a goal difference of three.
- Cameroon: Can make the last 16 with a win against Brazil and a Swiss loss. You can also make the last 16 with a win with Brazil by one more goal and a draw between Switzerland and Serbia.
- Serbia: Can make the last 16 with a win against Switzerland and a Cameroon loss.
Group H
- Portugal: Through the last 16. Can get the team with a win or draw against South Korea or a Ghanaian loss.
- Ghana: Can make the last 16 with a win or draw against Uruguay. With the draw, they will need to have a better goal difference than South Korea if they are to beat Portugal.
- South Korea: Can make the last 16 with a win against Portugal and a Ghana loss or draw against Uruguay.
- Uruguay: Can make the last 16 with a win against Ghana and a South Korea loss or draw against Portugal. If South Korea wins against Uruguay, it will go to tiebreakers.
