The group stage of the World Cup has progressed far over the past 2 weeks, and already it nears its conclusion. The nations of the world have played their hearts out, and hundreds of millions around the world have watched eagerly to see the conclusion of highly-promoted games. With the closing out of the group stage, 16 teams will be going home, as the knockout rounds begin this Saturday.
The United States of America posted a much better result than anyone expected, tying with England and Wales and ultimately beating out Iran for the second spot in the round of 16. Along with England, they form the 2 teams passing from Group B. Doubtless, many Welsh and Iranians are heartbroken at these proceedings.
In Group A, the Netherlands coasted to an easy qualification, as they posted a draw against Ecuador and handily defeated their opponents in Senegal and Qatar. However, Senegal managed to score a hard-fought victory against Ecuador, claiming the second spot in that group. On Saturday, the Netherlands will go up against the United States, as the first match in the knockout stage. Senegal will play England on Sunday, closing off the finalists of Groups A and B.
In Group C, Argentina delivered on their assumptions of clear qualification, defeating both Poland and Mexico for the spot. However, with the victory of Mexico against Saudi Arabia, the circumstances created a situation where neither Mexico or Saudi Arabia qualified, with the second spot instead going to Poland, giving the Poles their best result at the World Cup since the 1980s.
In Group D, France was taken to be the biggest team in the group, and lived up to that expectation until the end: losing in a shock upset to Tunisia. However, this could not stop the French momentum, as France qualified for the group stage. Tunisia’s upset couldn’t save them either, as the Australian team dealt with Denmark in quick order and secured the second spot.
Group F squared off with matches between Croatia and Belgium and Morocco and Canada. Morocco won their matchup and was able to pass on in the first spot, with Croatia in the second spot.
Group E will play after that, with matchups between Japan and Spain and Costa Rica and Germany. Spain is favored to pass on in the first rank of the group, with Japan and Costa Rica tied for points and Germany in a distant fourth. It appears that the second spot is a tossup between all three teams.
Group H consists of matchups between South Korea and Portugal, and Ghana and Uruguay. Portugal is already qualified for the group stage of the cup, with any scenario leading to them being in either the first or second spot. The other spot, then, is in contention between Ghana and Uruguay, and that match will determine who receives the spot.
Group G, the final group to play before the knockout stage begins, will consist of matchups between Serbia and Switzerland and Cameroon and Brazil. Brazil, on virtue of their performance, has already managed to qualify for the knockout stage, leaving the second spot in contention between Switzerland and Serbia.
Irrespective of your opinion of who should have won or lost, it is a great thing to see people from all over the world come together in appreciation of the sport. Many are cheering, many are sad, and many more are waiting for the next Cup, this time in our own USA. For now, it’s nice enough to just sit back and enjoy the beautiful game.
