FIFA WC Last-16 RACE: FIFA World Cup – Portugal seals their spot in the next round with their 2-0 win over Uruguay. Brazil becomes the third team to reach the Last 16 after a 1-0 win over Switzerland. South Korea went down to Ghana in a classic 2-3 encounter. South Korea are now at the bottom of the table while Ghana moves to the second spot. Cameroon and Serbia played a thrilling 3-3 draw. This means both team has survived till now, however, only one of the two teams can make to the round of 16.
b. Ecuador – Up next is Senegal, and a win will help them sail into the knockouts.
c. Senegal – A win over Ecuador will keep Senegal in the hunt for the Round of 16. A loss will end their campaign.
d. Qatar – Already eliminated from the World Cup. They have a chance to spoil Netherlands party, if they beat them.
Group B
Extremely tight scenario in Group B, with all the four teams still in contention for a spot in the Round of 16.
| Teams | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| England | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Iran | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 3 |
| USA | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Wales | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
a. England: Best placed to make it to the knockouts. To face Wales next and a win will confirm their knockouts spot. A loss will make things interesting for the remaining three teams.
b. Iran: With three points from two games, Iran’s last match against the USA is a must-win encounter for them.
c. USA: There’s no second chance for the USA when they take on Iran. Win the game and sail into the semis.
d. Wales: Need a lot of things to go their way, but first have to beat England, and hope Iran loses its game to the USA.
Group C
Like Group B, Group C is also a mixed-bag, with all the four teams stand a chance to make it to the knockouts.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Poland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Argentina | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| Mexico | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
a. Poland: The Polish lock horns with Argentina next and the winner of the game books a spot into the Round of 16.
b. Argentina: After the loss to Saudi Arabia, Argentina did well to beat Mexico to stay alive. Lionel Messi and Co. are required to do exactly the similar thing against Poland, next weekend.
c. Saudi Arabia: The Green Eagles have 3 points from 2 matches, and a win with a high goal difference can propel them forward to the next round. They face Mexico next.
d. Mexico: One point in the bag, and one more loss will mean Mexico can pack their bags and go home.
Group D
Group D is one of those rare groups at the FIFA World Cup 2022, which has one spot taken already, and one is up for grabs.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| France (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| Denmark | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 1 |
| Tunisia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
a. France: Defending champions France have their date booked with destiny already. The only unbeaten side from Group D has already qualified for the Round 16 and faces Tunisia next.
b. Australia: Australia did well against Tunisia with 1-0 win and will require another win over Denmark to seal a Round of 16 berth.
c. Denmark: After losing 2-1 to France, Denmark has to beat Australia to have any chance of making it to the knockouts. A loss will knock them out of the World Cup.
d. Tunisia: For starters, they need to beat France with a big margin. Second they will need Australia-Denmark match to end in a draw to move into the knockouts.
Group E
This group is completely open, with a couple of matches scheduled later in the day. Spain has a huge lead, but anything can happen over the course of next one week.
| Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | Spain | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| 2 | Japan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Costa Rica | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 3 |
| 4 | Germany | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 1 |
a. Spain: Spain slammed 7 goals against Costa Rica, and that could be a massive difference in the end. They settled for a 1-1 draw against Germany. La roja need a win or a draw to make it to the next round.
b. Japan: The Asian team has Costa Rica and Spain on their schedule. Losing to Costa Rica, the encounter against Spain becomes a must win affair.
c. Germany: Germany need a win over Costa Rica to make it to the knockouts.
d. Costa Rica: Costa Rica defeated Japan in a 1-0 affair. They need to beat Germany to bolster their qualification chances.
Group F
Belgium, Croatia and Morocco are in contention. Canada are knocked out.
| Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | Croatia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | Morocco | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Belgium | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | Canada | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
a. Belgium: Loss against Morocco has made their final game vs Croatia a must-win clash.
b. Croatia: A win or a draw vs Belgium is needed in their final game to qualify. If they lose, they need Canada to beat Morocco.
c. Morocco: Morocco defeated Belgium to all but confirm their spot. They will make the knockouts should they avoid defeat vs Canada.
d. Canada: Canada are knocked out after losses to Belgium and Croatia.
Group G
Brazil did no harm to their reputation and after beating Switzerland 1-0, the Samba Boys are in the Last 16. The remaining three teams are still in contention for a knockout berth from Group G.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Brazil (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Cameroon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 1 |
| Serbia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 1 |
a. Brazil: A 1-0 win over Switzerland was enough for the 5-time champions to make to the Last 16. The Samba boys won their back to back games to progress to the next round.
b. Switzerland: After loss to Brazil, the situation has become tough for Switzerland. A win will be enough for Switzerland against Serbia to qualify for the next round. The best thing for the Swiss side are that Cameroon and Serbia both are down with just 1 point.
c. Cameroon: With this 3-3 draw with Serbia, Cameroon stands third on the points table with 1 point. If they manage to win their next game and Switzerland lose, then they can qualify as the second team of the group
d. Serbia: Serbia played a 3-3 draw with Cameroon and are bottom last at the table with 1 point. Serbia will need a win in their next game at any cost and a favorable conditions with Switzerland and Cameroon dropping points will see them qualify by being the second placed team in group G.
Group H
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal are into the knockouts, and are looking good at the moment. However, there is still one spot pending from the Group, with three good teams fighting for that.
| Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Portugal (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Ghana | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| South Korea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 1 |
| Uruguay | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
a. Portugal: A sensational brace from Bruno Fernandes was enough to seal Portugal’s spot in last 16. 2 consecutive wins mean Cristiano Ronaldo’s team make it to the next stage.
b. Ghana: Ghana pulled off a stunning 3-2 win over South Korea, giving their first 3 points. Ghana needs a win in their last game and will hope for Uruguay and South Korea to drop points for them to qualify for the next round.
c. Korea Republic: South Korea are bottom last in the points table. The Asian side will have win their next game at any cost and hope for favorable results in the other game.
d. Uruguay: Uruguay faces Ghana in the knock out encounter. The winner of the game will most likely make it to the next stage. With just 1 point from 2 games, it’s a must-win game for Uruguay.
The tournament is quickly moving along and is already quickly moving past the second week. Already, the FIFA World Cup 2022 has experienced expected results, upsets, and shocking draw results. Going into the business end of the tournament, three teams have qualified, with 13 spots pending in the Round of 16. Just one more slip-up, and given the nature of the tournament, it should be good enough to shut the door on the losers in the coming days.