The 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup is in full swing in Qatar. Here is what you need to know about the groups and the knockout stages of the tournament before the Dec. 18 final.
WHEN IS THE WORLD CUP FINAL?
The World Cup final will be held on Sunday, Dec. 18 which is Qatar National Day. The match will kick off at 1500 GMT (6 p.m. local time).
WHICH STADIUM IS HOSTING THE FINAL?
The 80,000 capacity Lusail Iconic Stadium, which is 15km north of central Doha and the largest venue for the tournament, will host the World Cup title clash.
WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES?
Bookmakers William Hill, Bet365 and Ladbrokes have listed five-times champions Brazil as the favourites ahead of France and England.
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WHO WILL MEET IN THE QUARTER-FINALS?
Croatia v Brazil
Netherlands v Argentina
Morocco v Portugal
England v France
WHO MADE IT OUT OF THE GROUP STAGE?
GROUP A: Qatar (hosts), Ecuador, Senegal*, Netherlands*.
GROUP B: England*, Iran, United States*, Wales.
GROUP C: Argentina*, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland*.
GROUP D: France*, Australia*, Denmark, Tunisia.
GROUP E: Spain*, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan*.
GROUP F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco*, Croatia*.
GROUP G: Brazil*, Serbia, Switzerland*, Cameroon.
GROUP H: Portugal*, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea*.
* Teams that qualified for the last 16.
The group stage was a round-robin format with each of the 32 teams playing three matches. Teams were awarded three points for a win and one for a draw. The top two teams in each group went through to the last 16.
The first knockout round kicked off on Dec. 3. It will be followed by the quarter-finals from Dec. 9 and the semi-finals from Dec. 13.
The knockout rounds will feature one-off matches, which can go to extra time and then penalties to decide the winner.
The third-place playoff between the losing semi-finalists take places on Dec. 17 at the Khalifa International Stadium.
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