The group stage at the 2022 World Cup draws to a close, as 16 teams look to win a place in the knockout bracket.
Here we take a look at what every nation needs to do to get out of their group and keep the dream alive in Qatar.
QUALIFIED (3/16): Brazil, France, Portugal
ELIMINATED (2/16): Qatar, Canada
TIEBREAKERS
If two or more teams are level on points, they will be separated in the following order:
1) Overall group goal difference
2) Overall group goals scored
3) Head to head (H2H) result
4) H2H goal difference in all matches between the teams still level
5) H2H goals scored in all matches between the teams still level
6) Fair play points
7) Drawing of lots
– Explained: How the World Cup tiebreakers work
Full team-by-team permutations will appear after the second round of matches in each group.
– World Cup 2022: News and features | Schedule | Squads
GROUP A
Remaining fixtures
Tuesday (10 a.m. ET): Ecuador vs. Senegal, Netherlands vs. Qatar
Netherlands: Are guaranteed to qualify with a win/draw vs Qatar.
Netherlands will qualify with a defeat if Ecuador win.
If Netherlands lose and Ecuador-Senegal is a draw:
– Ecuador win the group with five points, Netherlands and Senegal both have four points; and
— Netherlands will definitely qualify if they lose to Qatar by one goal.
— If Netherlands lose to Qatar by two goals it will come down to group goals scored. If this is level, Netherlands finish second on head-to-head.
— Netherlands cannot qualify if they lose by three or more goals, Senegal would be second.
If Netherlands and Ecuador both lose:
– Second place will be decided on goal difference and then goals scored between the two teams, which is currently identical.
– If both lose by the exact same score, second place is decided on fair play (yellow and red cards.)
– If fair play is level, it’s a random draw.
If both Netherlands and Ecuador win:
– Both are through and first place will be decided on goal difference and then goals scored
– If both win by the exact same score, first place is decided on fair play points.
– If fair play is level, it’s a random draw.
Current fair play points
Netherlands: -1
Ecuador: -3
Ecuador: Are guaranteed to qualify with a win/draw vs. Senegal.
If Ecuador lose, they can only qualify if Netherlands also lose and the above scenario would then apply.
Senegal: Will definitely qualify with a win vs. Ecuador, and will top the group if Netherlands draw/lose.
A draw may be enough but only if Netherlands lose, and taking into account the above scenario in the Netherlands section.
Cannot qualify with a draw if the other game is a draw, or if Netherlands win.
Cannot qualify with a defeat.
Qatar: Have been eliminated.
GROUP B
2:01
Mark Ogden says Phil Foden has to start vs. Wales after having zero playing time against the USMNT.
Remaining fixtures
Tuesday (2 p.m. ET): Iran vs. United States, Wales vs. England
England: Can only be eliminated if they lose by at least four goals to Wales.
England are guaranteed to finish top with a win; or with a draw if both games are drawn.
If England draw and Iran win, Iran top the group.
If England draw and USA win, USA must win at least four goals (more likely five goals on goals scored) to take top spot ahead of England.
If England lose and Iran or USA win:
– Iran or USA win the group, England and Wales both have four points; and
— If England lose by up to three goals, England go through in second.
— If England lose by four or more goals, Wales go through in second.
If England lose and Iran-USA is a draw:
– England, Iran and Wales would have four points, and
— If England lose by up to three goals, England win the group with Wales in second and Iran third.
— If England lose by four or five goals, Wales win the group with England in second and Iran third.
— If England lose by six goals, Wales win the group with second between England and Iran decided on goals scored (Iran have scored two fewer goals); if level, England finish second on head-to-head.
— If England lose by seven goals, Wales win the group with Iran in second and England third.
Iran: Guaranteed to finish in the top two with a win vs. USA, and will win the group if England draw/lose.
A draw for Iran will be enough if Wales draw/lose.
Iran cannot go through with a defeat.
United States: Must beat Iran to go through. Can top the group with a win if England lose to Wales, or if England draw and USA win at least four goals (more likely five goals on goals scored.)
Cannot qualify with a draw or a defeat.
Wales: Must beat England and hope Iran vs. USA is a draw to guarantee a top-two finish, and would top the group if they beat England by four or more goals.
If USA or Iran win, Wales will need to beat England by four or more goals to finish second ahead of them.
Cannot qualify with a draw or a defeat.
GROUP C
Remaining fixtures
Wednesday (2 p.m. ET): Poland vs. Argentina, Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico
Poland: Are guaranteed to qualify with a win/draw vs Argentina. Will win the group with a victory, or with a draw if Saudi Arabia draw/lose.
If Poland lose and Mexico win:
– Argentina win the group with six points, Poland and Mexico both have four points; and
— Second place will be decided on group goal difference and then goals scored, and Mexico would have to overturn a deficit of four goals.
— If records are identical, for instance Poland lose 2-0 and Mexico win 2-0, head to head is level so second is decided on fair play points.
— If that’s level it’s a random draw
Current fair play points
Poland: -4
Mexico: -7
If Poland lose and Saudi Arabia-Mexico is a draw:
– Argentina win the group with six points, Poland and Saudi Arabia both have four points; and
— If Poland lose by one or two goals, Poland will finish second on goal group difference with Saudi Arabia third.
— If Poland lose by three goals it will be decided by group goals scored; if records are identical, e.g. if Poland lose 3-0 and Saudi Arabia-Mexico is 0-0, Poland finish second on head to head.
— If Poland lose by four or more goals, Saudi Arabia will finish second on goal group difference with Poland third.
If Poland lose and Saudi Arabia win, Poland are out.
1:43
Gab Marcotti examines the impact Argentina’s win over Mexico will have on Lionel Messi and his teammates.
Argentina: Guaranteed to qualify with a win vs. Poland, and will do so as group winners if Saudi Arabia draw/lose.
If both Argentina and Saudi Arabia win:
– Top spot will be decided on group goal difference and then goals scored; Argentina currently have the goal-difference advantage by two goals.
– If the scoring record is identical, Saudi Arabia win the group on head to head.
If Argentina draw, they are guaranteed to qualify if Saudi Arabia-Mexico draw.
If Argentina draw and Saudi Arabia win, Argentina are out (Saudi Arabia and Poland qualify.)
If Argentina draw and Mexico win:
– Poland win the group with five points, Argentina and Mexico both have four points; and
— If Mexico win by one or two goals, Argentina finish second on group goal difference with Mexico third.
— If Mexico win by three goals it will be decided by group goals scored; if records are identical, Argentina finish second on head to head.
— If Mexico win by four goals, Mexico are second on group goal difference and Argentina third.
Argentina cannot qualify with a defeat.
Saudi Arabia: Guaranteed to qualify with a win vs. Mexico, and will do so as group winners if Poland-Argentina draw. If both Saudi Arabia and Argentina win, top spot will be decided as noted in the Argentina section.
If Saudi Arabia draw vs. Mexico, they are only certain of qualifying if Argentina lose.
If Saudi Arabia draw and Poland lose, Poland would have to lose by at least three goals for Saudi Arabia to qualify (as noted in the Poland section.)
Saudi Arabia cannot qualify if both games are draws, or if they lose to Mexico.
Mexico: Must beat Saudi Arabia to have a chance; and a win by four or more goals guarantees qualification.
If Mexico and Poland win, Mexico finish second.
If Mexico win and Poland lose and, Mexico would have to overturn a deficit of four goals, as noted in the Poland section.
If Poland-Argentina is a draw, Mexico would have to win by at least three goals, as noted in the Argentina section.
GROUP D
Remaining fixtures
Wednesday (10 a.m. ET): Australia vs. Denmark, Tunisia vs. France
France: Have qualified for the round of 16 and will definitely top the group if they win/draw vs. Tunisia, or if Australia fail to beat Denmark.
If France lose and Australia win, first place will be decided on goal difference and then goals scored, but the Socceroos would have to overturn a deficit of six goals.
1:58
ESPN’s Joey Lynch provides an update from Australia’s training base in Qatar ahead of their final group stage game at the World Cup.
Australia: Guaranteed to finish in the top two if they beat Denmark.
Will qualify with a draw if Tunisia draw/lose against France.
If Australia draw and Tunisia win, Tunisia finish second on goal difference with Australia third.
Australia cannot qualify with a defeat.
Denmark: Must win, and will finish second if Tunisia draw/lose.
If both Denmark and Tunisia win:
– France win the group with six points, Denmark and Tunisia both have four points; and
— Second place will be decided on goal difference (both are now on -1) and then goals scored.
— If this is identical, second place will be decided on fair play points.
— If fair play is level, it’s a random draw.
Current fair play points
Denmark: -4
Tunisia: -4
Tunisia: Must win, and are guaranteed to finish second if Australia vs. Denmark is a draw.
If Tunisia and Denmark win, second place will be decided as noted in the Denmark section.
If Tunisia and Australia win, Tunisia finish third.
GROUP E
Remaining fixtures
Thursday (2 p.m. ET): Costa Rica vs. Germany, Japan vs. Spain
Spain: Are guaranteed to qualify with a win/draw vs Japan. Will win the group with a victory, or with a draw if Costa Rica draw/lose.
If Spain lose and Costa Rica win, Spain are out.
If Spain lose and Germany win:
– Japan win the group with six points, Spain and Germany both have four points; and
— Second place will be decided between Spain and Germany on group goal difference and goals scored, and Germany would have to overturn a deficit of eight goals.
— If records are identical, second is decided on fair play points.
— If that’s level it’s a random draw.
Current fair play points
Spain: -1
Germany: -3
If Spain lose and Costa Rica-Germany is a draw, Spain will finish second unless they lose by at least 13 goals.
1:29
Luis Miguel Echegaray says a draw was a fair result in Germany and Spain’s entertaining match at the FIFA World Cup.
Japan: Guaranteed to qualify with a win vs. Spain, and will do so as group winners if Costa Rica draw/lose.
If Japan and Costa Rica win:
— Top spot will be decided on group goal difference and goals scored; Japan currently have the goal-difference advantage by six goals.
— If the scoring record is identical, Costa Rica win the group on head-to-head.
If Japan draw and Costa Rica-Germany is a draw, Japan are through in second.
If Japan draw and Germany win:
– Spain win the group with five points, Spain and Germany both have four points; and
— If Germany win by one goal, it will be decided by group goals scored; if records are identical, e.g. with 1-1 and 1-0 scorelines, Japan finish second on head-to-head.
— If Germany win by more than one goal, Germany are second on goal difference and Japan third.
If Japan draw and Costa Rica win, Japan are out.
Japan cannot qualify with a defeat.
Costa Rica: Guaranteed to qualify with a win vs. Germany, and will do so as group winners if Japan-Spain is a draw.
If both Costa Rica and Japan win, top spot will be decided as noted in the Japan section.
If Costa Rica draw and Spain lose, Costa Rica will finish third behind Spain unless they lose overturn a goal-difference deficit of 13 goals.
If Costa Rica draw and Japan lose, Costa Rica finish second.
Costa Rica cannot qualify if both games are draws.
Costa Rica cannot qualify with a defeat.
Germany: Must beat Costa Rica to have a chance, and a win by eight goals secures the top 2 in all scenarios.
If Germany and Spain win, Germany finish second.
If Germany win and Spain lose, Germany would have to overturn a goal-difference deficit of eight goals, as noted in the Spain section.
If Germany win and Japan-Spain is a draw, Germany can qualify as noted in the Japan section.
GROUP F
Remaining fixtures
Thursday (10 a.m. ET): Canada vs. Morocco, Croatia vs. Belgium
Croatia: Are guaranteed to qualify with a win/draw vs Belgium. Will definitely top the group with a win if Morocco draw/lose.
If Croatia draw and Canada-Morocco draw, Croatia win the group. If Croatia draw and Morocco win, Croatia finish second.
If Croatia and Morocco both win:
– Top spot will be decided on goal difference and then goals scored between the two teams, which Croatia currently edge by one goal.
– If records finish identical, first place is decided on fair play (yellow and red cards.)
– If that’s level, it’s a random draw.
Current fair play points
Croatia: -2
Morocco: -2
If Croatia and Morocco both lose:
– Belgium win the group with six points, Croatia and Mexico both have four points; and
— If both games are lost by the same margin (for instance one goal, 2-1 and 1-0), Croatia will finish second on goal difference with Morocco third.
— If the games are decided by a different margins, second place will be decided between Croatia and Morocco on goal difference and then goals scored.
— If this is identical, it will be decided on fair play (yellow and red cards.)
— If fair play is level, it’s a random draw.
If Croatia lose and Morocco win/draw, Croatia are out.
Morocco: Are guaranteed to qualify with a win/draw vs Canada. Will definitely top the group with a win if Croatia draw/lose.
If Morocco and Croatia both win, top spot is decided as noted in the Croatia section. If both games are draws, Morocco finish second. If Morocco draw and Croatia win, Morocco finish second.
If Morocco and Croatia lose, Belgium win the group with second place decided as noted in the Croatia section.
If Morocco lose and Croatia win, Morocco finish second.
If Morocco lose and Croatia-Belgium is a draw:
– Croatia win the group with five points, Morocco and Belgium both have four points; and
— If Morocco lose by one or two goals, Morocco finish second and Belgium third
— If Morocco lose by three goals it will come down to group goals scored. If this is level, Morocco finish second ahead of Belgium on head-to-head.
— If Morocco lose by four or more goals, Belgium finish second.
If Morocco and Croatia lose, Belgium win the group with second place decided as noted in the Croatia section.
Belgium: Will definitely qualify with a win vs. Croatia, and will top the group if Morocco draw/lose.
If Belgium draw and Morocco win/draw, Belgium are out.
If Belgium draw and Morocco lose, Croatia win the group with second place decided between Belgium and Morocco as noted in the Morocco section.
Canada: Have been eliminated.
1:21
Shaka Hislop explains why time is up for many of Belgium’s stars after their loss vs. Morocco.
GROUP G
Remaining fixtures
Friday (2 p.m. ET): Cameroon vs. Brazil, Serbia vs. Switzerland
Brazil: Have qualified for the round of 16 and will definitely top the group if they win/draw vs. Cameroon, or if Switzerland fail to beat Serbia.
If Brazil lose and Switzerland win:
– Top spot will be decided on goal difference
– If both games are won by one goal, Brazil finish first and Switzerland second
– If one game is won by a greater of one goal (so 2-0 and 1-0), goal difference will be level and top spot is decided on goals scored
— If goals scored is level, Brazil win the group on head-to-head
– If one game is won by a greater of two or more goals (so 3-0 and 1-0), Switzerland win the group and Brazil are second
1:12
Luis Miguel Echegaray reveals whether he favours Brazil or France as the two sides in the World Cup knockouts.
Switzerland: Guaranteed to finish in the top two if they beat Serbia, and could win the group if Brazil lose as per the above scenarios.
Will qualify with a draw if Cameroon draw/lose against Brazil.
If Switzerland draw and Cameroon win:
– Brazil win the group with six points, Cameroon and Switzerland have four points; and
— If Cameroon win by one goal, second place will be decided on goals scored; Switzerland have scored three fewer goals than Cameroon (so if Cameroon win 1-0, Switzerland must draw 3-3 to make goals level and finish second on head-to-head.)
— If Cameroon win by two or more goals, Cameroon are second and Switzerland third.
Cannot qualify with a defeat.
Cameroon: Must win to have any chance.
If both Cameroon and Serbia win:
– Brazil win the group with six points, Cameroon and Serbia both have four points; and
— If both games are won by the same margin (for instance any by one goal, 2-1 and 1-0), Cameroon will finish second on goal difference with Serbia third.
— Therefore, Serbia must win by a greater margin than Cameroon to finish second:
— If this is by a greater of one goal (so 2-0 and 1-0), goal difference will be level and second place is decided on goals scored (both have scored 3 goals)
— If goals scored are level, it will be decided on fair play.
— If fair play is level, it’s a random draw.
— If Serbia win by a greater of two or more goals (so 3-0 and 1-0), Serbia will finish second on goal difference with Cameroon third.
Current fair play points
Cameroon: -3
Serbia: -5
If both Cameroon and Switzerland win, Cameroon are out.
If Cameroon win and Serbia-Switzerland is a draw, any Cameroon will probably be enough but by two or more goals guarantees it, as per the scenarios in the Switzerland section.
Serbia: Must win if they are to finish in side the top two.
If Serbia win and Cameroon draw/lose, Serbia are through in second.
If Serbia and Cameroon win, Serbia must win by a greater margin — as set out in the Cameroon section.
GROUP H
Remaining fixtures
Friday (10 a.m. ET): Ghana vs. Uruguay, South Korea vs. Portugal
Portugal: Have qualified for the round of 16 and will definitely top the group if they win/draw vs. South Korea, or if Ghana fail to beat Uruguay.
If Portugal lose and Ghana win
– Top spot will be decided on goal difference and goals scored
– If both games are won by one goal, Portugal top the group on goal difference.
– If games are won by a different margin, the group will be decided on goal difference and then goals scored.
– If goals scored is identical, Portugal win the group on head-to-head.a win the group on goal difference.
Ghana: Guaranteed to finish in the top two if they beat Uruguay, and could win the group as per the scenarios above.
If Ghana draw and South Korea draw/lose, Ghana qualify in second.
If Ghana draw and South Korea win:
– Portugal win the group with six points, Ghana and South Korea both have four points; and
— If South Korea win by one goal, second place will be decided on goals scored.
— If group goals scored are identical (e.g. if 0-0 and 3-2), Ghana finish second on head-to-head.
— If South Korea win by two or more goals, South Korea finish second on goal difference and Ghana are third.
Ghana cannot qualify with a defeat.
Uruguay: Must win, and will finish second if South Korea draw/lose.
If both Uruguay and South Korea win:
– Portugal win the group with six points, Uruguay and South Korea both have four points;
— If both games are won by the same margin, South Korea finish second on goal difference
— If Uruguay win by a greater margin of one goal (so 2-0 and 1-0), second place is decided on goals scored
— If goals scored are level (so 1-0 and 3-1), second place is decided on fair play (yellow and red cards.); If that’s level, it’s a random draw.
— If Uruguay win by a greater margin of two or more goals (so 3-0 and 1-0), Uruguay finish second on goal difference
Current fair play points
Uruguay: -3
South Korea: -8
South Korea: Need a victory to have a chance.
If both South Korea and Uruguay win, the scenarios in the Uruguay section apply.
If South Korea win and Ghana draw, South Korea are guaranteed to qualify if they win by two goals; if South Korea win by one goal the scenarios in the Ghana section apply.
If South Korea and Ghana win, South Korea finish third.