International Football
World Cup 2022 Round of 16: qualified teams, schedule and how it works
With the World Cup knockout phase having begun, here is an overview of the teams advancing to the last 16 at the tournament in Qatar:
HOW DOES THE KNOCKOUT STAGE AT WORLD CUP 2022 WORK?
* In the knockout stage the teams will play each other once, with the winning team going to the next round. There are total of four rounds: Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, which will take place on Dec. 18.
* There is also a third place playoff between the losers of the semi-finals.
* If the scores are equal at the end of normal playing time, extra time is played for two periods of 15 minutes each. If the score is still tied, this is followed by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners.
WHICH TEAMS HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE KNOCKOUT STAGE?
GROUP A
* The Netherlands secured a place in the last 16 with victories over African champions Senegal and hosts Qatar, topping Group A despite a 1-1 draw with Ecuador.
* The reigning African Champions started the World Cup with a loss to the Netherlands, but they turned their fortunes with a 3-1 win over hosts Qatar and a decisive 2-1 win over Ecuador.
GROUP B
* England punched their ticket to the knockout phase as top of Group B with 7 points, following emphatic victories against Wales and Iran and a goalless draw with the United States.
* The United States qualified as runners up of Group B after a 1-0 victory over Iran in a match overshadowed by political tension following draws with Wales and England.
GROUP C
* Argentina clawed back the top spot in Group C with wins over Mexico and Poland after a shocking loss in the opener against Saudi Arabia. They will next face Australia on Saturday.
* Poland clinched a spot in the last 16 as runners-up of Group C after a win over Saudi Arabia, a draw with Mexico and a loss to Argentina. They meet France on Sunday.
GROUP D
* Reigning champions France delivered on expectations and became the first team to qualify for the last 16 with consecutive Group D wins over Australia and Denmark, followed by a 1-0 loss to Tunisia.
* Australia claimed a spot in the last 16 as Group D runners-up with 6 points from wins over Tunisia and Denmark. They go on to face Argentina on Saturday.
GROUP E
* Japan surged into the last 16 as the unlikely winners of Group E after the Samurai Blue staged two stunning comeback wins over Germany and Spain, losing only to Costa Rica. They will face Croatia on Monday.
* Spain clinched a spot in the last 16 with a blowout against Costa Rica, followed by a draw with Germany and a loss to Japan. They will meet Morocco on Tuesday.
GROUP F
* Morocco topped Group F with wins over Canada and Belgium following a goalless draw with Croatia, and will play against Spain on Tuesday.
* Croatia joined the last 16 after two goalless draws with Morocco and Belgium and a 4-1 victory over Canada. They will next face Japan on Monday.
Group G:
* Brazil booked their ticket for the knockout stage with back-to-back wins against Switzerland and Serbia, followed by a 1-0 loss to Cameroon. They will face South Korea on Monday.
* Switzerland secured the runners-up spot in Group G with a 3-2 win over Serbia and a victory over Cameroon, and will go on to play Portugal on Tuesday.
GROUP H
* Portugal finished Group H with a defeat by South Korea but held on to their top spot to face Switzerland on Tuesday.
* South Korea clinched entry to the knockout stage with a last-gasp win over already-qualified Portugal, following a goalless draw with Uruguay and a loss to Ghana.
WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE FOR THE KNOCKOUT STAGE?
DATE FIXTURE TIME VENUE Dec. 3 Netherlands v United States 1500 Khalifa International Stadium Dec. 3 Argentina v Australia 1900 Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Dec. 4 France v Poland 1500 Al Thumama Stadium Dec. 4 England v Senegal 1900 Al Bayt Stadium Dec. 5 Japan v Croatia 1500 Al Janoub Stadium Dec. 5 Brazil v South Korea 1900 Stadium 974 Dec. 6 Morocco v Spain 1500 Education City Stadium Dec. 6 Portugal v Switzerland 1900 Lusail Iconic Stadium Dec. 9 Quarter-final 1 1900 Lusail Iconic Stadium Dec. 9 Quarter-final 2 1500 Education City Stadium Dec. 10 Quarter-final 3 1900 Al Bayt Stadium Dec. 10 Quarter-final 4 1500 Al Thumama Stadium Dec. 13 Semi-final 1 1900 Lusail Iconic Stadium Dec. 14 Semi-final 2 1900 Al Bayt Stadium Dec. 17 Third place playoff 1500 Khalifa International Stadium Dec. 18 Final 1500 Lusail Iconic Stadium
WHICH TEAMS ARE OUT OF THE WORLD CUP?
* Group A: Ecuador and Qatar
* Group B: Iran and Wales
* Group C: Mexico and Saudi Arabia
* Group D: Tunisia and Denmark
* Group E: Germany and Costa Rica
* Group F: Belgium and Canada
* Group G: Cameroon and Serbia
* Group H: Uruguay and Ghana
-Reuters
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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