World Cup 2022: Knockouts Preview
Halfway home, but a long road yet to come.
Amazingly, we’ve reached the close of the group stage already, which means half our teams are heading home and another half are heading into the bracketed phase of the tournament. We’ll continue to bring you coverage of the tournament until the close, kicking things off with our Round of 16 preview before games kick off tomorrow.
World Cup posting schedule:
November 15: Group A + B Preview
November 16: Group C + D Preview
November 17: Group E + F Preview
November 18: Group G + H Preview
November 20: World Cup Pick ‘em Contest
November 26: Group Stage Halfway
December 2: Round of 16 Preview
December 8: Round of 8 Preview
December 12: Semifinals Preview
December 16: Final/Third Place Preview
Don’t forget! You can also join our World Cup bracket challenge before games begin tomorrow! Here's the link!
The Bracket
Netherlands-United States
The Dutch came home top of Group A with 7 points. The Dutch rarely looked ruffled throughout the group stage, which isn’t entirely unexpected - with little standing in their way as a test, they achieved the expected result. The challenge begins now for the Orange.
Meanwhile, the United States clawed their way into the finals, coming second in Group B via 5 points and a gasp of a goal against Iran via star Christian Pulisic’s groin area. A valiant sacrifice for the good of us all, certainly, as it seems the United States through to the knockouts. They’re the only team to have not conceded a goal in the stream of play (their only concession was to Wales via a Gareth Bale penalty), but scoring remains a challenge for the young Yanks.
The Dutch are a formidable opponent, but rumors of a flu striking the Orange and my inherent inability to set aside my patriotism for international sporting competition tells me that it’s going to be the United States in a nailbiter going through this one. Pick: United States
Argentina-Australia
After a shock opening-day loss to Saudi Arabia, the Argentine machine is back on track, we think. Wins against Mexico and Poland locked them into the next round, ensuring Leo Messi gets one last shot at a trophy that has as of yet eluded him.
Their opposition is one of the unlikeliest stories of this World Cup in Australia, who shocked Denmark and Tunisia to overcome an opening drubbing at the hands of favorite France in order to be the only Pot 4 team to make it through to the Knockout Round. We’ll see if the Socceroos can keep turning the competition on its head, Down Under style.
As much as I want the Aussies, though, I think it’s got to be Argentina. Though I don’t have the South Americans going through to the final, I think it’s hard to argue against one of the greatest players this game has ever seen in moments where it matters most. Pick: Argentina
Japan-Croatia
Hats off to Japan, man. In a group that most wrote off as a Spain-Germany passage, the Samurai Blue (oh my GOD what a cool nickname) came through, beating both of those teams (and somehow losing to Costa Rica in there too) to come top of Group E. People are going to continue sleeping on Japan and they will continue to be proven wrong.
Flipping the coin, we have Croatia, who weathered one of the biggest upsets of the group stage to advance over a Belgium team ranked second in the world, but the Balkan nation finished behind surprise contender Morocco all the same. Don’t write off these guys, who have an aging core but one still supremely talented and able to compete at the highest level.
I think that I’m staking my flag with the upset bid here - as much as I love so many of the Croatian team and think they’ve got the sauce, it’s gotta be Japan for me. They’ll keep their improbable run going. Pick: Japan
Brazil-South Korea
Brazil did what needed to be done - and despite getting toppled at the death by the Cameroonians, they still comfortably won Group G. The world’s number one team, they’re hoping to follow a long legacy laid out before them in order to bring another title home to Brasilia.
In their way are the scrappy South Koreans, who navigated a difficult group to overcome Uruguay’s challenge with the help of Ghana playing spoiler. The Koreans got a last-gasp winner from Hwang Hee-Chan that guaranteed them passage into the knockouts - but that’s no reason to discount them, as that win came against a very strong Portugal team.
As much as I love the underdog here, it’s not a case where I can bet on them. Brazil’s got too much looming over them to let this one get by, and they’ll make their way into the quarterfinals once more. Pick: Brazil
England-Senegal
Group B winners England are hoping to begin the run of form that will help them bring football home for the first time since 1966 - but they cannot afford to get complacent. Good runs of form against Wales and Iran helped them comfortably run Group B, but the team struggled against the United States at times and looked a little shakier than their top billing may have had people believing.
On the other side of this card is Senegal, a team that did what needed to be done when it mattered most, trumping Ecuador 2-1 in a game that saw a tie and a winner scored in less than three minutes. It remains to be seen if the Sadio Mane-less Senegalese can pull off a monumental upset.
In a battle of Lions, I’ve got the favorite here. Though they haven’t always looked like a team ready to take home the trophy, I think they’ve got enough wind in their sails to coast through this one. They cannot afford to get caught out looking ahead of themselves, though, and this is where Senegal may spring an upset. Pick: England
France-Poland
Heavyweight favorites France almost had the sort of campaign we expected - a loss to Tunisia in their final group game was more a factor of France playing a rotated squad to ensure their health rather than any sort of need for advancement. This advantage means Les Bleus look particularly dangerous heading into the knockouts - not that they needed the help. In what looks to be a very Eurocentric and very mean half of the bracket, the French are going to try to make it two on the trot.
Poland, on the other hand, thought they were going to go through on fair play, in what would have only been the second time ever (Japan advanced on fair play over Senegal some years ago) - but a late Saudi goal saw Mexico dispatched, and the Poles are through, under the incredible hands of Wojcech Szczesny. We’ll see if they can spring another miracle, but the odds are against them.
France is among the top teams in the world for a reason - but it’s not a guarantee. This is a fearsome foursome all the way down, and discounting a scrappy Poland side is a surefire way to get yourself pantsed. That said, I still think it’s all tricolor in this one. Pick: France
Morocco-Spain
How about the Moroccans? Unbelievable tenacity to dispatch Belgium and Canada in short order, sending them through to the knockouts when almost no one (myself included) picked them to make it. For the first time since 1986, Morocco enters bracket play at the World Cup.
For their efforts, they get… Spain. That’s harsh. One of the world’s top teams, though they have admittedly looked surprisingly fallible, needing all sorts of wizardry from the German team to send them through in favor of a feisty Costa Rican team. They’re obviously not to be discounted, but it goes without saying that is a far cry from the 2010 team that looked so unerringly dominant.
As much as my head tells me to go with the Europeans here, I’m following my heart - they’ve done it once, they’ll do it again. I have the Africans going forth here in a Border War.1 Pick: Morocco
Portugal-Switzerland
As Messi managed to sneak through, so did Cristiano Ronaldo - though the Portuguese were denied a perfect group stage record by South Korea, enough happened elsewhere to see them come top in Group H, with favorites Uruguay going home empty-handed. They’re looking to make a last run at it, with a lot of their longtime talent getting no younger.
They’ll face a Switzerland team that did exactly what I didn’t predict them to do - that being advance out of Group G - but they handled business where necessary, taking out Cameroon and Serbia to offset their loss to Brazil. We’ll see if the Rossocrociati can do a little better against another Portuguese-speaking team than they did against the last one.
Portugal has looked mortal, moreso than they did last time around. Switzerland, on the other hand, has looked resilient and pretty strong at times. I think it’s going to come down to an ability to overcome adversity, and with that in mind, I give my edge to the landlocked nation. Pick: Switzerland
Well. Hopefully I don’t get literally all of these wrong. See you for the Round of 8!
Morocco and Spain border each other thanks to two Spanish exclaves in Africa - Ceuta and Melilla. Additionally, Spain and Morocco disputed control over Western Sahara for some time in the late 1900s. History!