The race for knockout in the World Cup has become interesting. Mexico has secured a place in Group A, but there is competition among 3 teams for one place. No team has qualified in Group B and the last match will be decisive.
California: The group stage matches in the World Cup have now reached the last round and the mathematics of knockout has become quite interesting. Some teams have secured their place in the pre-quarterfinals, but for many teams the last match has become ‘do or die’. Additionally, the best four teams finishing third in the group will also get a chance to advance to the next round, making the competition even more exciting. Let us take a look at the knockout equation of Groups A and B.
Group A: Mexico ahead, three contenders for a place
In Group A, only Mexico has so far confirmed its place in the knockouts. There is a competition for the remaining one place between three teams – South Korea, Czech Republic and South Africa.
South Korea: The team is currently at second place. If South Korea wins or draws its next match against South Africa, it will reach the knockouts by finishing second. But, if Korea loses to South Africa and Czech Republic beats Mexico in its last match, Korea will be eliminated from the tournament, slipping to fourth place in the group.
Czech Republic: Currently, Czech Republic, which is at number three, will have to defeat strong Mexico in the next match. At the same time, they also have to pray that South Korea loses their match. Only then will they have any hope of reaching the knockout stage.
South Africa: South Africa will have to defeat Korea at any cost in the next match. Also, it is important that Czech Republic does not win its last match. If South Africa beats Korea and Czech Republic also manages to defeat Mexico, then both the teams will have 4 points each. In such a situation, on the basis of goal difference it will be decided who will be the second team to go to the knockout.
Group B: Here the matter is completely stuck
The situation of Group B is completely complicated. Even after two matches, no team has yet qualified for the knockouts. At present, both Canada and Switzerland have 4 points each. At the same time, Qatar and Bosnia have one point each. Only the last match of the group will decide who will advance.
Canada and Switzerland: Canada’s last match is against Switzerland. If this match is a draw, then both the teams will have 5 points each and both will reach the knockout together. Even if Canada loses this match, due to the huge goal difference of +6, it can reach the pre-quarterfinals by finishing second. Same is the case with Switzerland; Their place is confirmed if they win or draw.
Bosnia: It is not easy for Bosnia to qualify by finishing second. They will have to defeat Qatar by a big margin in their last match. Also, their goal difference should be better than the losing team in the Canada-Switzerland match.
Queue: Qatar’s knockout hopes are just a distant dream. The first task is to defeat Bosnia by a huge margin. Also, if they can have a better goal difference than the losing team in the Canada-Swiss match, a miracle can happen and they can come second. Otherwise, your ticket back home is guaranteed.