The 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup is in full swing in Qatar. Here’s what you need to know about the tournament’s knockout stages ahead of the December 18 final.
When is the world cup final?
The final of the World Cup will be held on Sunday, December 18, which is Qatar’s national day. The match will start at 1500 GMT (6pm local time).
Which stadium is hosting the final?
The 80,000-capacity Lucille Iconic Stadium, 15 kilometers north of central Doha and the tournament’s largest venue, will host the World Cup title match.
Who are the favorites?
Bookmakers William Hill, Bet365 and Ladbrokes have named defending champions France as favorites to win the World Cup ahead of Argentina and Croatia.
Who will compete in the semi-finals and when?
Argentina vs Croatia – December 13
France v Morocco – December 14.
What happened in the quarter finals?
Croatia vs Brazil
Croatia reached their second straight semi-final after coming back from a goal down in extra time to beat favorites Brazil 4-2 on penalties.
Netherlands vs Argentina
Argentina kept captain Lionel Messi’s World Cup dreams alive by beating the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout while the Dutch drew 2-2 with two late goals in a thrilling quarter-final.
Morocco vs Portugal
Morocco’s extraordinary run in Qatar continued as they beat Portugal 1-0 to become the first African and Arab nation to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.
England v France
Olivier Giroud sent France into the last four when his late header beat England 2-1 on Saturday after Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener. England’s Harry Kane put a penalty over the bar six minutes from time.
Who made it out of the group stage?
Group A: Qatar (host), Ecuador, Senegal*, Netherlands*.
Group B: England*, Iran, America*, 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 are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the last 16.
The first knockout round began on December 3. This will be followed by the quarter-finals from December 9 and the semi-finals from December 13.
The knockout rounds will feature one-sided matches, which may go to extra time and penalties to decide the winner.
The third-place play-off between the losing semi-finalists will take place on December 17 at the Khalifa International Stadium.