NEW DELHI: FIFA World Cup 2022 has entered its knockout phase. The top two teams from each of the eight groups have entered the Round of 16 or the pre-quarterfinals.
Netherlands and Senegal from Group A, England and USA from Group B, Argentina and Poland from Group C, France and Australia from Group D, Japan and Spain from Group E, Morocco and Croatia from Group F, Brazil and Switzerland from Group G, and Portugal and South Korea from Group H will be battling in the Round of 16 stage.
There are a total of four knockout rounds, beginning with the Round of 16 and followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final. The losing team in each round gets eliminated from the tournament.
The grand finale is scheduled for December 18.
Here is an overview of the teams that have been eliminated from the mega tournament:
* Hosts Qatar were the first team to be eliminated following defeats by Ecuador (2-0) and Senegal (3-1). They ended their campaign without a point after a 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands in their final group stage match.
ECUADOR
* Ecuador came agonisingly close to reaching the last 16 and matching their previous best showing in 2006, but were eliminated after a 2-1 defeat to African champions Senegal.
IRAN
* Despite being beaten 6-2 by England in their Group B opener, Iran's 2-0 victory over Wales had given them a glimmer of hope for a history-making march to the last 16.
* However, a 1-0 defeat to the United States knocked them out of the competition.
Image credit: FIFA World Cup
WALES
* Wales, who were competing in the global showpiece tournament for the first time since 1958, finished bottom of Group B with one point and one goal.
MEXICO
* Mexico missed out on the knockout stages after finishing behind Poland on goal difference, ending a run of seven successive last-16 appearances at the World Cup.
* Mexico coach Tata Martino accepted full responsibility for their exit and said he will not extend his contract with the federation (FMF).
SAUDI ARABIA
* After opening their campaign in Qatar with a stunning 2-1 victory over Argentina, Saudi Arabia lost 2-0 to Poland and saw their hopes of making the knockout phase vanish with a 2-1 defeat by Mexico.
TUNISIA
* Tunisia beat defending champions France 1-0 in their last Group D match but it was not enough for them to advance to the last 16, after they drew to Denmark and were beaten by Australia in their first two games.
DENMARK
* Denmark finished bottom of Group D after drawing with Tunisia and losing to France and Australia.
GERMANY
* Germany were knocked out of the World Cup at the group stage for a second consecutive time, finishing third in Group E behind Japan and Spain.
COSTA RICA
* Costa Rica were knocked out after suffering a 4-2 defeat by Germany in their final Group E match, which left them bottom with three points after they lost 7-0 to Spain before beating Japan 1-0.
BELGIUM
* Belgium, who were favourites to qualify from Group F, finished third in their group with four points after winning just one of their three games.
* Belgium coach Roberto Martinez, who had been in charge of the team since 2016 and led them to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, said he was standing down from the job after his side's exit.
CANADA
* Canada, making their first World Cup appearance since 1986, finished bottom of Group F with three losses.
CAMEROON
* Cameroon beat five-times winners Brazil 1-0 in their last Group G match but it was not enough for them to advance to the last 16, after they drew to Serbia and were beaten by Switzerland in their first two games.
SERBIA
* Serbia finished bottom of Group G and leave Qatar without a single win, losing to Brazil and Switzerland and drawing with Cameroon.
URUGUAY
* Uruguay finished Group H on four points, the same as South Korea, but were knocked out because they had scored fewer goals than the Asian side.
GHANA
* Ghana beat South Korea 3-2 in a thrilling win but defeats to Portugal and Uruguay eliminated them from the tournament.
(With inputs from Reuters)
