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World Cup round of 16 bracket finalized: See who is moving on

The round of 16 bracket for the World Cup has been finalized.

WASHINGTON — The field is set for the knockout round of the 2022 World Cup. 

Teams like Germany and Uruguay faced a surprising early World Cup exit after their last group games. However, teams like France, Portugal and Brazil solidified an early top spot in the round of 16. 

In the World Cup, the top two teams from each group advance to what’s called the knockout stage. That pits the 16 remaining teams in a single-elimination tournament. 

The first game of the knockout round is on Saturday, Dec. 3, with the United States facing off the Netherlands. So starting Saturday, it's win or go home. 

Who is in the knockout stage at the World Cup?

France, Brazil and Portugal secured a safe spot in the knockout round early on in the group stage. Even after France's loss in the final group game against Tunisia on Wednesday, they had still qualified for the knockout round. 

Teams who have advanced:

  • Netherlands (Group A)
  • Senegal (Group A)
  • United States (Group B)
  • England (Group B)
  • Argentina (Group C)
  • Poland (Group C)
  • France (Group D)
  • Australia (Group D)
  • Japan (Group E) 
  • Spain (Group E)
  • Morocco (Group F)
  • Croatia (Group F)
  • Brazil (Group G)
  • Switzerland (Group G) 
  • Portugal (Group H)
  • South Korea (Group H) 

World Cup round of 16 bracket

Netherlands (Group A) vs. United States (Group B runner up)

Argentina (Group C) vs. Australia (Group D runner up)

England (Group B) vs. Senegal (Group A runner up)

France (Group D) vs. Poland (Group C runner up)

Japan (Group E winner) vs. Croatia (Group F runner up)

Morocco (Group F winner) vs. Spain (Group E runner up)

Brazil (Group G winner) vs. South Korea (Group H runner up)

Portugal (Group H winner) vs. Switzerland (Group G runner up)

How does the group stage work in the World Cup?

Teams advance to the knockout round based on a point system, the two teams with the most point secure a spot while the remaining two are eliminated. 

Winning a game awards three points, while tied games give teams a single point. Losing teams go without points. 

Overall goal difference determines which teams advance in the World Cup if the points are tied after all three group games. 

Which teams have been eliminated from World Cup 2022?

The teams that have been eliminated from the 2022 World Cup are as follows:

  • Qatar (Group A)
  • Ecuador (Group A)
  • Iran (Group B)
  • Wales (Group B)
  • Mexico (Group C)
  • Saudi Arabia (Group C)
  • Denmark (Group D)
  • Tunisia (Group D)
  • Costa Rica (Group E)
  • Germany (Group E) 
  • Canada (Group F)
  • Belgium (Group F) 
  • Cameroon (Group G)
  • Serbia (Group G)
  • Uruguay (Group H) 
  • Ghana (Group H) 

Qatar was the first team to be eliminated from the World Cup with an early exit on Nov. 25. It was the first host country to get eliminated after the first two games and the first host country to lose their opening match.  

Is Mexico out of the World Cup?

Mexico, who won 2-1 against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, was eliminated after falling short in the first two group games. It would be the first time since 1978 that Mexico failed to advance out of its group.

Mexico had reached the round of 16 at the last seven World Cups, which was tied for the longest current streak with Brazil.

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