HITC Football lists every team to qualify for the Round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. England secured their place in the knockout stages after beating Wales 3-0 to top Group B.
The group stage for the 22nd edition of FIFA’s quadrennial international tournament runs from November 20 to December 2. It will whittle down the 32 teams that qualified for the competition to 16. Only the top two from each group will advance to the knockout stages.
Round of 16 games at the 2022 World Cup will start on December 3 with the winners from groups A and C taking on the group B and D runners-up respectively. Fixtures will continue two per day to December 6 before the first quarter-final tie. So, who has made the last 16?
Group A: The Netherlands make the 2022 World Cup Round of 16 as the top seed
Qatar hosted the World Cup in 2022 to make their first-ever appearance on the FIFA stage. But their time in Group A threw up defeats to Ecuador and Senegal to be the first nation to be eliminated. And a defeat to the Netherlands saw the Maroon finish in last and pointless.
The Netherlands’ 2-0 win over Qatar at Al Bayt Stadium also secured Oranje the top seed in Group A. Louis van Gaal’s team had beaten Senegal 2-0 before they drew 1-1 with Ecuador. They will face the Group B runners-up on December 3 at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Senegal, meanwhile, bounced back from their defeat to Oranje to beat Qatar 3-1 and took a 2-1 result over Ecuador. The wins ensured the Lions of Teranga finished as runners-up. The West African nation will now meet the Group B winners on December 4 at Al Bayt Stadium.
Group B: England beat Wales to secure the top spot over the USA
England booked their place in the Round of 16 from Group B after taking comfortable wins over Iran and Wales. Gareth Southgate’s team kicked off their Qatar 2022 campaign with a 6-2 win over Team Melli, which would put the Three Lions in a strong position to advance.
A goalless draw with the USA meant England only had to avoid losing 4-0 to Wales to make the knockout stages. But Southgate did not need to worry as Marcus Rashford inspired a 3-0 win over Cymru. The Manchester United star scored twice during his first start in Qatar.
Wales rescued a point against the USA in their opening fixture but a 2-0 defeat to Iran left Cymru on the back foot. Robert Page’s squad then failed to build much momentum before Rashford struck for England. Phil Foden of Manchester City fired between Rashford’s goals.
Taking draws with Wales and England, meanwhile, meant the USA had to beat Iran in their final fixture to advance. Team Melli would have clung on to second place with a stalemate at Al Thumama Stadium. But Christian Pulisic’s bundled finish was enough for a 1-0 USA win.
England will now take on Senegal on Sunday, December 4 in their Round of 16 game at the 2022 World Cup. The USA, on the other hand, will meet Group A winners the Netherlands on Saturday, December 3 bidding to claim their first quarter-finals appearance since 2002.
Group C: Poland survive a nervy final day to pip Mexico for second place
Argentina arrived at Qatar 2022 among the favourites to win the title at Lionel Messi’s last World Cup appearance. But despite the Albiceleste icon scoring an early penalty, the South Americans kicked off their Group C campaign with a shock 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia.
A goalless draw with Mexico was then on the cards before Messi inspired a 2-0 win over El Tri. It gave their campaign new life but Argentina still had to beat Poland in their final clash to guarantee their last 16 spot. And they did, comfortably dominating the game to win 2-0.
Poland had entered their match with Argentina atop the Group C table but offered nothing at either end. La Albiceleste should have scored far more than two goals with the shots the two-time champions produced. But Poland could hardly afford to concede any more goals.
If Poland lost 3-0 with Mexico beating Saudi Arabia 2-0, they would have relied on having fewer yellow cards to El Tri to finish in the runners-up spot. In the end, Saudi Arabia got a late goal back to make it 2-1. Poland will now meet the Group D winners on December 4.
Argentina, meanwhile, will face the Group D runners-up on December 3. La Albiceleste lost 4-3 in the Round of 16 to the eventual champions France at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It was the first time they were eliminated before the quarter-finals since the 2002 edition.
Group D: Australia join France in the Round of 16 at a World Cup for the second time
Australia have qualified for the Round of 16 at the World Cup for only the second time in their history. The Socceroos first featured in the knockout stages at Germany 2006 but it was the end of their path. They crashed out in their group in 1974, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
Graham Arnold oversaw 1-0 wins over Tunisia and Denmark to book a place in the last 16 in Qatar. But a 4-1 defeat to France in their opening fixture gave the defending World Cup holders the top spot in Group D. Les Bleus also beat Denmark 2-1 but lost 1-0 to Tunisia.
Wahbi Khazri offered the only goal as Tunisia beat France in the 58th minute with a well-taken finish past Steve Mandanda. Antoine Griezmann equalised in stoppage time but the referee deemed he came back from an offside position before volleying the ball home.
Group E: A controversial win over Spain sees Japan pip La Roja at Qatar 2022
A controversial win over Spain saw Japan snatch the top seed in Group E in the final game to make the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Having thrashed Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening tie, Spain’s vastly superior goal difference also saw Germany knocked out.
Spain kicked off Qatar 2022 in thunderous fashion with six players contributing their seven goals against Costa Rica. But Luis Enrique’s side could not build on their result as Germany came from behind to draw 1-1. La Roja then blew a 1-0 lead over Japan to finish in second.
But Japan’s win over Spain – after beating Germany 2-1 and then losing 1-0 to Costa Rica – was not without controversy. La Roja had dominated the Samurai Blue in the first half but only led 1-0 at half-time. Boss Hajime Moriyasu then introduced Ritsu Doan at the interval.
Doan had already made headlines in Qatar after coming off the bench to equalise against Germany before Takuma Asano’s winner. This time, though, it only took him three minutes to score. Ao Tanaka then turned home Kaoru Mitoma’s re-directed cross to take a 2-1 lead.
No broadcasted replays could clearly show whether or not the ball had edged out of play before Mitoma met it. So, the VAR and on-field referee gave the goal and Japan hung on to win and top Group E. It also saw Germany crash out, despite them beating Costa Rica 4-2.
Spain and Germany would finish the opening round level on four points having drawn and both beaten Costa Rica. But the commanding manner of La Roja’s win was the difference.
Group F: Morocco pip Croatia as both make the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup
Canada were the first team that could not make the knockout stages from Group F after losing to Belgium and Croatia. The Maple Leafs proved a real threat for the Red Devils in their opening game. But 2018 finalists Croatia came from behind in commanding fashion.
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Croatia’s result over Canada meant they only needed to draw with Belgium to advance but would top Group F with a win. Yet neither side could find a breakthrough as the Red Devils threw everything at the Vatreni goal. Roberto Martinez’s squad had to win to go through.
In the end, the draw would see Croatia fall to second place as Morocco beat Canada 2-1 in their final fixture. The result launched the Atlas Lions to the top of their table and qualify for the knockout stages for only the second time. They also made the last 16 at Mexico 1986.
Group G: Brazil secure their 14th consecutive appearance in the second round
Brazil secured their 14th consecutive appearance in the second round of a World Cup after beating Serbia and Switzerland. The Selecao have not crashed out of any World Cup during the opening stage since 1966. They have also reached the quarter-finals at the past seven.
Switzerland, Cameroon and Serbia could all follow Brazil into the knockouts out of Group G in their final ties. But despite Cameroon beating a much-changed Brazil XI 1-0, Switzerland joined the Selecao. Nati sealed a 3-2 win over Serbia, despite initially wasting an early lead.
Xherdan Shaqiri put Switzerland on course for the runners-up spot with a 20th-minute goal against Serbia. Yet Orlovi responded to lead 1-2 on 35 minutes as Aleksandar Mitrovic (26’) and Dusan Vlahovic struck. But Breel Embolo (44’) and Remo Freuler (48’) reclaimed a win.
Group H: Portugal secured their last 16 spot by beating Ghana and Uruguay
Portugal secured their spot after beating Ghana and Uruguay to kick off their Qatar 2022. The Selecao were the only nation in Group H to claim a place in the Round of 16 after two games at the World Cup with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes leading their charge.
Even a final game defeat to South Korea would not deny Portugal the top spot in Group H, either. But the Taegeuk Warriors’ 2-1 result at the Education City Stadium would see South Korea also advance as the runners-up. Much to the dismay of Uruguay as they met Ghana.
Ghana only needed to draw against Uruguay to make the knockouts on goals scored after beating South Korea 3-2. It started promisingly for the Black Stars, too, as Sergio Rochet tripped Mohammed Kudus for a penalty. But Rochet would save Andre Ayew’s tame strike.
Giorgian de Arrascaeta would punish Ayew’s error with a quick-fire brace after 26’ and 32 minutes. It seemed like the goals would be enough to go through, too, with South Korea losing 1-0 to Portugal. Yet the Taegeuk Warriors were not down and out just yet in the tie.
Ricardo Horta broke the deadlock after just five minutes in Al Rayyan but Kim Young-Gwon would not let Portugal rest. He drew South Korea level after 27 minutes and his team kept seeking the winning goal they had to score to go through. Eventually, it came at the death.
Hwang Hee-Chan came off the bench with less than half an hour left on the clock. But he would make the difference on 90+1. Son Heung-Min hit Portugal on the break after South Korea cleared a late corner, fed it to Hwang and he swept his shot home to go through.
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