The lineup of teams attending the 2022 FIFA World Cup knockout round was recently updated with the addition of Argentina, France, Poland, and Australia. Excitement surrounds the tournament with the group stage transitioning to the Round of 16. Despite the uncertainty around a winter World Cup and issues around the host nation, it has been an entertaining competition thus far.

A Look into the Round of 16 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Here's how teams in Group E can progress to the Round of 16 ⤵#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/bKuvYUVUPF

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 1, 2022

READ MORE: 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 Betting Preview

Qualified teams

France, the 2018 FIFA World Cup champions and +550 favorites to win the 2022 World Cup was the first to qualify. Brazil and Portugal shortly followed, but await results from their respective groups to finalize their position in the Round of 16. The Dutchmen secured their place in the knockouts after two wins, including a 2-0 win over host country Qatar. Meanwhile, the second-best team in Group A goes to Senegal after beating Ecuador 2-1 in their last group stage game.

England makes their way to the last 16 of the World Cup after sending home Wales, while team USA secured their place in the knockouts after a narrow 1-0 victory over Iran. Brazil breezed past their opponents with two consecutive wins and automatic qualification to the next round. The same goes for Portugal who secured two early wins with +2,150 top goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

Argentina recovered from an opening game upset to Saudi Arabia with back-to-back wins against Mexico and Poland. The Polish squad claimed the second spot in Group C and now heads to the knockouts.

Round of 16 mechanics

The group stage requires each team to play one match against the other three teams in their group and the top two countries with the most points advance to the knockout stage. A victory equals three points, a draw equals a point, and a loss means no points are awarded. If the top two teams are tied in points, the squad with the better goal differential or whichever team won the head-to-head clash gets the spot.

The top team of a group plays the second-best team of another group in the Round of 16. If the game is tied after regulation time, teams go into extra time. A penalty shootout is imposed if the scoreline remains level at the end.

After the first round, the number of teams gets cut to eight, then four in the next round. Once the teams narrow down to two, the final game takes place on Sunday, December 18, with the third-place match between losers of the semi-final games played a day before.

2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 schedule

• Match 1: Netherlands (A1) vs. USA (B2)
• Match 2: Argentina (C1) vs. Australia (D2)
• Match 3: E1 vs. F2
• Match 4: G1 vs. H2
• Match 5: England (B1) vs. Senegal (A2)
• Match 6: France (D1) vs. Poland (C2)
• Match 7: F1 vs. E2
• Match 8: H1 vs. G2

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