The World Cup knockout round bracket continued to be filled in Thursday in Qatar. Belgium didn’t get the goal it needed against Croatia and was bounced out of the tournament; Morocco’s win over Canada gave it first place in Group F, while Croatia finished second.
World Cup bracket and knockout round schedule
Dec. 3, 10 a.m.
Netherlands
Dec. 9, 2 p.m.
Group C 1st
Dec. 13, 2 p.m.
Dec. 3, 2 p.m.
Dec. 5, 10 a.m.
Group E 1st
Group G 1st
Dec. 9, 10 a.m.
Group H 2nd
Dec. 18, 10 a.m.
Dec. 5, 2 p.m.
Dec. 4, 2 p.m.
Dec. 10, 2 p.m.
Dec. 14, 2 p.m.
Dec. 4, 10 a.m.
Dec. 6, 10 a.m.
Group E 2nd
Group H 1st
Dec. 10, 10 a.m.
THIRD PLACE
Group G 2nd
Dec. 17, 10 a.m.
Dec. 6, 2 p.m.
Dec. 3, 10 a.m.
Netherlands
Dec. 9, 2 p.m.
Dec. 13, 2 p.m.
Dec. 3, 2 p.m.
Dec. 5, 10 a.m.
Group E 1st
Group G 1st
Dec. 9, 10 a.m.
Group H 2nd
Dec. 18, 10 a.m.
Dec. 5, 2 p.m.
Dec. 4, 2 p.m.
Dec. 10, 2 p.m.
Dec. 14, 2 p.m.
Dec. 4, 10 a.m.
Dec. 6, 10 a.m.
Group E 2nd
THIRD PLACE
Dec. 17, 10 a.m.
Group H 1st
Dec. 9, 10 a.m.
Group G 2nd
Dec. 6, 2 p.m.
Dec. 3, 10 a.m.
Dec. 4, 2 p.m.
Netherlands
Fri. 9, 2 p.m.
Dec. 10, 2 p.m.
Dec. 13, 2 p.m.
Dec. 14, 2 p.m.
Dec. 18, 10 a.m.
Dec. 3, 2 p.m.
Dec. 4, 10 a.m.
Dec. 5, 10 a.m.
Dec. 6, 10 a.m.
Group E 1st
THIRD PLACE
Group E 2nd
Dec. 17, 10 a.m.
Group G 1st
Group H 1st
Fri. 9, 10 a.m.
Dec. 10, 10 a.m.
Group H 2nd
Group G 2nd
Dec. 5, 2 p.m.
Dec. 6, 2 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 3, 10 a.m.
Sun., Dec. 4, 2 p.m.
Netherlands
Fri., Dec. 9, 2 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 10, 2 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 13, 2 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 18, 10 a.m.
Wed., Dec. 14, 2 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 3, 2 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 4, 10 a.m.
Mon., Dec. 5, 10 a.m.
Tue., Dec. 6, 10 a.m.
Group E 1st
THIRD PLACE
Group E 2nd
Sat., Dec. 17, 10 a.m.
Group G 1st
Group H 1st
Fri., Dec. 9, 10 a.m.
Sat., Dec. 10, 10 a.m.
Group H 2nd
Group G 2nd
Mon., Dec. 5, 2 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 6, 2 p.m.
On Wednesday, Argentina took the top spot in Group C with its 2-0 win over Poland, which finished second after a desperate Mexican side could not score a crucial third goal in a win over Saudi Arabia. (Poland advanced based on a superior goal differential.) Defending champion France claimed the top spot in Group D, while surprising Australia knocked off Denmark to take Group D’s second spot.
The United States got the victory it needed over Iran on Tuesday to finish second in Group B and move on; it will face Group A winner the Netherlands on Saturday at 10 a.m. Group B winner England will face Group A runner-up Senegal on Sunday.
Follow our live World Cup updates for highlights and analysis from each match. Here is today’s schedule.
Thursday’s schedule and results
Croatia, the 2018 runner-up, earned a scoreless draw with Belgium, which finished third four years ago. Coupled with Morocco’s 2-1 win over Canada, that eliminated Belgium, which had countless scoring chances on Thursday but couldn’t find the back of the net.
In Group E games beginning at 2 p.m., Germany must beat Costa Rica to have any chance to advance, and Spain faces Japan in another critical matchup.
The winner of Group E will face Croatia in the round of 16, while Morocco will face the Group E runner-up.
Up next …
The group stage will conclude Friday with simultaneous closing matches in Group G and Group H. Portugal has clinched a spot in the knockout round; it will claim Group H with a win or draw against South Korea, which needs to beat Portugal to have any chance. Ghana is in with a win against Uruguay, though a draw could be enough, while Uruguay needs to beat Ghana and get some help.
The situation is similar in Group G. Brazil is already guaranteed to advance; it can win the group with a win or draw against Cameroon, which will be eliminated unless it upsets Brazil. Switzerland is in with a win against Serbia, though a draw could be enough, while Serbia needs to beat its European rival and get some help from Brazil.
The winner of Group G will next face the runner-up from Group H, while the Group H winner will face the Group G runner-up.
Looking ahead at the rest of the World Cup
Here’s a look at the rest of the tournament’s schedule. All times Eastern.
What to know about the World Cup group stage
Group A: The Netherlands defeated Senegal, tied with Ecuador and then had no trouble with Qatar, finishing the group stage without a loss, conceding just a single goal. Senegal and Ecuador always seemed likely to compete for the second slot, and Senegal’s 2-1 win Tuesday was the deciding factor. Qatar, the host country, was the first team eliminated from the tournament.
Group B: England, attempting to claim its first World Cup title since 1966, finished with an impressive plus-seven goal differential in group games after a dominant win over Iran followed by a nervy draw with the United States and then a comfortable win over Wales. The United States scored just two goals in group play, but it was enough after draws with Wales and England and a 1-0 win over Iran. Iran got only one positive result, a win over Wales, which finished last in the group.
Group C: In what was surely the wildest group, favorite Argentina was stunned by Saudi Arabia in its opening match before rallying to win the group with victories over Mexico and Poland. Despite that loss, Poland finished second on goal differential, advancing to the knockout round for the first time since 1986. Mexico had the same results as Poland but finished with a minus-one goal differential while Poland was level. Saudi Arabia’s only points came in its shocking upset over Argentina.
Group D: France got the two wins it needed for qualification in its first two games before falling, 1-0, to Tunisia in its third match. The defending champions still won the group with six points based on goal differential. Surprising Australia earned wins over Tunisia and Denmark to claim Group D’s second spot. Tunisia will heartily celebrate its closing win over France, while Denmark will stand as a huge disappointment, finishing with just one goal and one point.
Group F: Belgium may have been the group favorite and one of the world’s top-ranked teams, but it was upstaged by upstart Morocco, which beat both the Belgians and Canada and drew with Croatia to win the group. Croatia was also unbeaten with two scoreless draws and a convincing win over Canada, which played an attractive brand of soccer but lost all three of its matches.
Source: WP
