World Cup 2022 Group Advancement Scenarios
As the group stages wrap up, many spots in the knockout rounds of World Cup 2022 are still up for grabs.
Five teams have already qualified for the knockout rounds – France, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Senegal. That leaves eleven spots up for grabs. By the end of the group stages, we’ll see a full bracket and a few surprises in the knockout rounds. Let’s take a look at each World Cup 2022 group and see what needs to happen.
Group B: USA Wins and Gets In
England will most likely win the group after their dominant opening win versus Iran. The United States situation is simple – beat Iran, and they qualify for the knockout round.
Group C: Possible Route to World Cup 2022 for Saudi Arabia
Group C offers a couple of intriguing scenarios. Mexico needs a lot of help to advance as the group runner-up. They would have to beat Saudi Arabia handily to give themselves a shot. Saudi Arabia could continue to surprise. If they beat Mexico, they would have 6 points coming out of the group stage. That would put pressure on Poland to beat Argentina to advance. Outside of some bottom-of-the-group magic, Poland and Argentina will advance.
Group D: One Spot Left for Denmark or Australia
France has already secured their spot in the knockout rounds with victories over Australia and Denmark. Australia and Denmark haven’t played each other yet. Their group match will be a “win and get in” match for Australia. Tunisia will most likely be eliminated unless they can defeat France, while Australia and Denmark tie.
Group E: Still Hope for Germany?
It’s not often that you see Germany at the bottom of a World Cup group, but here we are. After battling to a standstill with Spain after a shocking opening loss to Japan, the German path to the knockout round is precarious. They will need to beat Costa Rica, look for help from the rest of the group, and score a couple of extra goals to give them some padding in the goal differential column.
Group F: Belgium’s Last Gasp
Another shock group is Group G and Belgium. The Belgians’ “Golden Generation” is on its last chance, and needs to win out and get some help to advance in the group. Croatia and Morocco are the current leaders of the group. Both teams only need a draw to advance.
Group G: Path for Serbia, Switzerland
Brazil has already clinched its spot in the knockout rounds. They showed true resilience after losing Neymar in their first game to come back and win in their 2nd game. Barring a surprise victory by Cameroon over Brazil, Switzerland vs Serbia on Friday will decide the 2nd spot from this group.
Group H: Portugal Is Through – Who Else?
Portugal has already qualified for the round of 16. This group is a three-way race between South Korea, Uruguay, and Ghana. South Korea would need to beat Portugal, and Uruguay would need to beat Ghana to have a chance. Ghana only needs to draw and avoid a South Korean victory to advance to the knockout round.
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