The World Cup is down to the final stretch. We’re edging closer to the end of the group stage, which wraps Tuesday. So which teams are in a position to advance, and what needs to happen for them to get there? Here are the group-by-group scenarios for each team in the tournament.
Group A
Here’s what every team in Group A needs to make it to the Round of 16:
The Netherlands: The Dutch need a win or draw against Qatar, and they are eliminated with any other result.
Ecuador: Ecuador needs a win, or at least one point, against Senegal and is eliminated with any other result.
Senegal: Senegal needs a win against Ecuador and is eliminated with any other result.
Qatar: After two defeats in their first two matches, Qatar cannot advance.
Group B
Group B is among the more evenly matched groups at this World Cup. England, Iran, and the United States are all within two points of each other and could take any of the top two spots in the group.
England qualifies with a win or a tie against Wales and could survive even with a loss, thanks to its strong goal differential of +4.
Iran qualifies with a win against the United States and is eliminated with a defeat. Iran qualifies with a tie unless Wales beats England, and Iran finishes behind both those countries on goal differential.
The USA qualifies with a win. Any other result is eliminated. Wales must beat England to stand any chance of qualifying, and even then, would be dependent on the other result in the group and a goal differential tiebreaker.
Group C
Poland: Advances with a win or tie against Argentina. It is not necessarily eliminated with a loss, depending on the tiebreaker, which has goal differential as the first criterion.
Argentina: Qualifies with a win against Poland and advances with a tie unless Saudi Arabia wins against Mexico, or in either case, it wins the tiebreaker. It is eliminated with a loss to Poland.
Saudi Arabia: Advances with a win against Mexico and advances if Poland beats Argentina, but is eliminated if Poland/Argentina ties. If Saudi Arabia ties and Argentina wins, a tiebreaker would decide second place.
Mexico: Qualifies with a win if Poland beats Argentina. If Mexico wins and there is any other result, it will advance on goal differential over Saudi Arabia (if both teams have the same number of points). If Mexico ties and Argentina wins (or Poland loses), they would be tied on points, and goal differential would decide who advances.
Group D
France has qualified with one game to spare after beating Denmark. It still needs to win the tiebreaker against Australia but will be eliminated if it loses or draws.
Australia qualifies with a win against Denmark in its last game and is eliminated with a defeat. It also qualifies with a tie unless Tunisia beats France and wins the tiebreaker, with the first criterion being goal differential.
Denmark qualifies if it beats Australia, unless Tunisia beats France and wins the tiebreaker. Tunisia can qualify if it beats France, but only if the other game is either a tie or a Denmark win, in which case it would still need to win a tiebreaker.
