All 32 teams begin the 2022 FIFA World Cup with one goal: to reach the knockout rounds.
As any player and coach will tell you, in the single-elimination knockout stage, anything can happen. So teams don’t care how they get there. They just want to get there.
Some paths to the knockouts will prove easier than others depending on the teams that qualify and the final pairings. Round of 16 matchups is all predetermined with teams slotting into their respective groups (group winners or group runners-up) based on their finish.
Those nations that win their group are paired with the runner-up from a different group in the round of 16 and a favorable first game can actually put a team on a deep run.
Sports News has everything you need to know about the upcoming start of the knockout rounds.
Teams in Round of 16
France became the first team to reach the Round of 16 on November 26 and have since been followed by 11 other teams.
Like France, Brazil and Portugal also qualified mathematically after two match days, but they are still waiting to see if they will go through as group winners or group runners-up when they play their finals. Meanwhile, Group A-D and Group F were the first to wrap up the game.
| Groups | Runner-up | Group Winner |
| Group A | Senegal | Netherlands |
| Group B | USA | England |
| Group C | Poland | Argentina |
| Group D | Australia | France |
| Group E | Spain | Japan |
| Group F | Croatia | Morocco |
| Group G | Switzerland | Brazil |
| Group H | South Korea | Portugal |
World Cup Round of 16 Fixtures
Matchups in the Round of 16 are predetermined and brackets are filled as teams finish first or second in their respective groups.
World Cup Round of 16
| Match | Stadium | Time (ET / GMT) | Date |
| Netherlands 3 vs. USA 1 | Khalifa Int’l | Highlights | Sat, Dec. 3 |
| Argentina 2 vs. Australia 1 | Ahmad Bin Ali | Highlights | Sat, Dec. 3 |
| France 3 vs. Poland 1 | Al Thumama | Highlights | Sun, Dec. 4 |
| England 3 vs. Senegal 0 | Al Bayt | Highlights | Sun, Dec. 4 |
| Japan 1 vs. Croatia 1 | Al Janoub | Highlights | Mon, Dec. 5 |
| Brazil 4 vs. South Korea 1 | Stadium 974 | Highlights | Mon, Dec. 5 |
| Morocco 0 vs. Spain 0 | Education City | Highlights | Tue, Dec. 6 |
| Portugal 6 vs. Switzerland 1 | Lusail | Highlights | Tue, Dec. 6 |
World Cup Bracket Round of 16
The bottom bracket comes in two sides. And each will produce a World Cup final.
On one side of the bracket are the following teams, from which the finals will emerge:
Netherlands (Group A winners)
United States (Group B runner-up)
Argentina (Group C winner)
Australia (Group D runners-up)
Japan (Group E winners)
Croatia (Group F runners-up)
Brazil (Group G winners)
South Korea (Group H runners-up)
The other side of the bracket will produce another World Cup final from the following list:
Senegal (Group A runner-up)
England (Group B Winners)
Poland (Group C runners-up)
France (Group D winners)
Spain (Group E runners-up)
Morocco (Group F winner)
Switzerland (Group G runners-up)
Portugal (Group H winners)
How does the Round of 16 work in the World Cup?
The Round of 16 is the start of what is commonly known as the Knockout Round as each match is single elimination from here on out.
There are no points earned. There is no ranking. There is just one winner and one loser.
What happens if the knockout match ends in a draw?
In the case of each round of 16 matches and subsequent knockout round matches, there must be a winner on the day. If the match is tied after 90 minutes, the match will go to an extra time of 30 minutes.
If the deadlock persists after 30 minutes of extra time, a penalty shoot-out will decide which team advances to the quarter-finals.
Round of 16 pairings is set in advance of the World Cup draw. The first-placed team in the group stage will play the runner-up team in their respective groups.
How teams progress in the World Cup
There are 32 teams that will qualify for the World Cup after qualifying from their respective regions.
Group stage
After reaching the World Cup, the first obstacle is the group stage. In 2022, the 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four teams each.
The group stage consists of the usual round-robin group matches in which each team plays the other three once. Three points are awarded for each win in the group stage, one for a draw, and one for any loss.
The top two finishers from each group advance to the knockout stage, placing the winner and runner-up of each group into a predetermined bracket starting in the Round of 16.
Knockout Round
From the Round of 16 to the Finals, each match is single elimination. Teams advance from the round of 16 to the quarterfinals, then the semifinals, and finally the final.
As mentioned above, if the teams are tied at the end of 90 minutes of regulation, the teams play 30 minutes of extra time followed by a penalty shootout, if necessary.