The knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. Played from 3 to 18 December, the knockout stage will end with the final, held at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination tournament. There are sixteen matches in the knockout stage, including a third place play-off played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals.
All times listed are local, AST (UTC+3).
Format[]
In the knockout stage, if a match is level at the end of 90 minutes of normal playing time, extra time will be played (two periods of 15 minutes each). If still tied after extra time, the match will be decided by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners.
Qualified teams[]
The top two placed teams from each of the eight groups will qualify for the knockout stage.
Group | Winners | Runners-up |
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A | ![]() |
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B | ![]() |
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C | ![]() |
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D | ![]() |
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E | ![]() |
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F | ![]() |
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G | ![]() |
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H | ![]() |
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Bracket[]
The tournament bracket is shown below, with bold denoting the winner of each match.
Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
3 December – Al Rayyan (Khalifa) | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 3 | |||||||||||||
9 December – Lusail | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 1 | |||||||||||||
![]() | 2 (3) | |||||||||||||
3 December – Al Rayyan (Ahmad bin Ali) | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 2 (4) | |||||||||||||
![]() | 2 | |||||||||||||
13 December – Lusail | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 1 | |||||||||||||
![]() | 3 | |||||||||||||
5 December – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 0 | |||||||||||||
![]() | 1 (1) | |||||||||||||
9 December – Al Rayyan (Education) | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||
![]() | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
5 December – Doha (974) | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||
![]() | 4 | |||||||||||||
18 December – Lusail | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 1 | |||||||||||||
![]() | 3 (4) | |||||||||||||
4 December – Al Khor | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 3 (2) | |||||||||||||
![]() | 3 | |||||||||||||
10 December – Al Khor | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 0 | |||||||||||||
![]() | 1 | |||||||||||||
4 December – Doha (Al Thumama) | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 2 | |||||||||||||
![]() | 3 | |||||||||||||
14 December – Al Khor | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 1 | |||||||||||||
![]() | 2 | |||||||||||||
6 December – Al Rayyan (Education) | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 0 | Third place play-off | ||||||||||||
![]() | 0 (3) | |||||||||||||
10 December – Doha (Al Thumama) | 17 December – Al Rayyan (Khalifa) | |||||||||||||
![]() | 0 (0) | |||||||||||||
![]() | 1 | ![]() | 2 | |||||||||||
6 December – Lusail | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 0 | ![]() | 1 | |||||||||||
![]() | 6 | |||||||||||||
![]() | 1 | |||||||||||||
Round of 16[]
Netherlands vs United States[]
The Netherlands had met the United States five times, with the former winning the first four meetings. They most recently met in June 2015, with the United States winning 4–3.
3 December 2022 18:00 |
Netherlands ![]() |
3–1 | ![]() |
Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan Attendance: 44,846 Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil) |
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Depay ![]() Blind ![]() Dumfries ![]() |
Report | Wright ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Argentina vs Australia[]
Argentina had met Australia seven times, winning five, drawing one, and losing one. They met in the 1994 FIFA World Cup inter-confederation play-off, which Argentina won 2–1 on aggregate. Both teams also met in Argentina's 4–2 win in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. They most recently met in September 2007, with Argentina winning 1–0.
3 December 2022 22:00 |
Argentina ![]() |
2–1 | ![]() |
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan Attendance: 45,032 Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland) |
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Messi ![]() Álvarez ![]() |
Report | Fernández ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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France vs Poland[]
France has met Poland 16 times, winning eight, drawing five, and losing three. The three defeats included the 1982 World Cup third place play-off which Poland won 3–2.
4 December 2022 18:00 |
France ![]() |
3–1 | ![]() |
Al Thumama Stadium, Doha Attendance: 40,989 Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela) |
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Giroud ![]() Mbappé ![]() |
Report | Lewandowski ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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England vs Senegal[]
This was the first ever meeting between the sides.
4 December 2022 22:00 |
England ![]() |
3–0 | ![]() |
Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor Attendance: 65,985 Referee: Iván Barton (El Salvador) |
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Henderson ![]() Kane ![]() Saka ![]() |
Report |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Japan vs Croatia[]
Japan has met Croatia three times, winning one, drawing one, and losing one. From the three, two happened in the World Cup group stages: Croatia won 1–0 in 1998 and drew 0–0 in 2006. The latter was their most recent encounter.
5 December 2022 18:00 |
Japan ![]() |
1–1 | ![]() |
Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah Attendance: 42,523 Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States) |
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Maeda ![]() |
Report | Perišić ![]() | ||
Penalties | ||||
Minamino ![]() Mitoma ![]() Asano ![]() Yoshida ![]() |
1–3 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Brazil vs South Korea[]
Brazil has met South Korea seven times, winning six and losing one. They most recently met in June 2022, which Brazil won 5–1.
5 December 2022 22:00 |
Brazil ![]() |
4–1 | ![]() |
Stadium 974, Doha Attendance: 43,847 Referee: Clément Turpin (France) |
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Vinícius ![]() Neymar ![]() Richarlison ![]() Paquetá ![]() |
Report | Paik Seung-ho ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Morocco vs Spain[]
Morocco has met Spain in three full international matches, drawing one and losing two. Spain won both the 1962 World Cup inter-continental play-off legs, while the most recent meeting ended in a 2–2 draw in the 2018 World Cup group stage.
6 December 2022 18:00 AST (UTC+3) |
Morocco ![]() |
0–0 (a.e.t.) |
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Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan Attendance: 44,667 Referee: Fernando Rapallini (Argentina) |
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Report | ||||
Penalties | ||||
Sabiri ![]() Ziyech ![]() Benoun ![]() Hakimi ![]() |
3–0 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Portugal vs Switzerland[]
Portugal has met Switzerland 25 times, winning 9, drawing 5, and losing 11. They met in several World Cup qualifications, in 1938, 1970, 1990, 1994, and 2018. Both teams most recently met in June 2022, with Switzerland won 1–0 in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A.
6 December 2022 22:00 |
Portugal ![]() |
6–1 | ![]() |
Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail Attendance: 83,720 Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico) |
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Ramos ![]() Pepe ![]() Guerreiro ![]() Leão ![]() |
Report | Akanji ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Quarter-finals[]
Croatia vs Brazil[]
Croatia has met Brazil four times, losing three and drawing one. Two of these took place in World Cup group stages with Brazil winning both times: 1–0 in 2006 and 3–1 in 2014.
9 December 2022 18:00 |
Croatia ![]() |
1–1 (a.e.t.) |
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Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan Attendance: 43,893 Referee: Michael Oliver (England) |
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Petković ![]() |
Report | Neymar ![]() | ||
Penalties | ||||
Vlašić ![]() Majer ![]() Modrić ![]() Oršić ![]() |
4–2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Netherlands vs Argentina[]
The Netherlands has met Argentina nine times, winning four, drawing three, and losing two. Five of those happened in the World Cup: a 4–0 win for the Dutch at the second group stage in 1974 was replied with a 3–1 win for the Argentines in the 1978 final. The Dutch won 2–1 in the 1998 quarter-finals prior to two goalless draws in the 2006 group stage and in their most recent encounter in the 2014 semi-finals, only for the Argentines to win on penalties this time.
9 December 2022 22:00 |
Netherlands ![]() |
2–2 | ![]() |
Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail Attendance: 88,235 Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) |
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Weghorst ![]() Dumfries ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Report | Molina ![]() Messi ![]() | ||
Penalties | ||||
Van Dijk ![]() Berghuis ![]() Koopmeiners ![]() Weghorst ![]() L. de Jong ![]() |
3–4 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Morocco vs Portugal[]
This was the first time that Morocco have reached the quarter-finals, the first Arab country to have reached this far, and just the fourth African country – after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010 – to reach the last eight. They have met Portugal two times, having won and lost once each. Both of these took place in World Cup group stages with Morocco winning 3–1 in 1986 and Portugal winning 1–0 in 2018.
10 December 2022 18:00 |
Morocco ![]() |
1–0 | ![]() |
Al Thumama Stadium, Doha Attendance: 44,198 Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina) |
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En-Nesyri ![]() |
Report |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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England vs France[]
England had met France 31 times, winning 17 times, drawing five and losing nine. Two of these took place during a World Cup with England winning both times: a 2–0 win during the 1966 group stage and a 3–1 win during the 1982 first group stage.
10 December 2022 22:00 |
England ![]() |
1–2 | ![]() |
Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor Attendance: 68,895 Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil) |
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Kane ![]() |
Report | Tchouaméni ![]() Giroud ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Semi-finals[]
Argentina vs Croatia[]
Both sides have met five times, winning twice each and drawing once. Two of these matches took place in the World Cup group stages, a 1–0 win for Argentina in 1998 was followed by Croatia's 3–0 win in 2018.
Both teams approached each other carefully in the first 30 minutes, until Dejan Lovren and Joško Gvardiol mistakenly let Julián Álvarez pass through the defense, causing Dominik Livaković to collide with Álvarez in the 34th minute. Match referee Daniele Orsato booked Livaković and awarded a penalty kick to Argentina, in which Lionel Messi converted high to the right of the net. The collision also sparked a feud between Orsato and some Croatia players, in which Orsato booked Mateo Kovačić and sent off assistant coach Mario Mandžukić as a result. In the 39th minute, five minutes after Messi's penalty, Álvarez passed through the defense and scored a second goal for Argentina. During the second half of the match, Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić substituted out a lot of players, including team captain Luka Modrić, and substituted in all of reserved substitutions in order to boost the attacking ability of the team, but this didn't stop Messi and Álvarez from providing another goal for the Argentinians. In the 69th minute, Messi dribbled through Gvardiol and passed the ball to Álvarez from the right, enabling Álvarez to score a second goal. The match ended with the scoreline of 3–0 in favour of Argentina. Messi's penalty goal took him ahead of fellow countryman Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's most prolific goal-scorer at the World Cup, with 11 goals scored, and this match put him equally with former German player Lothar Matthäus's record for the most matches played, with the final set to be his record-breaking 26th match.
13 December 2022 22:00 |
Argentina ![]() |
3–0 | ![]() |
Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail Attendance: 88,966 Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy) |
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Messi ![]() Álvarez ![]() |
Report |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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France vs Morocco[]
France had met Morocco seven times, winning five and drawing two. They most recently met in a friendly in 2007, with the match ending in a 2–2 draw. This was their first World Cup meeting. This match marked the first ever World Cup semi-final featuring an African team, and also the first involving an Arab country. This was the third time that a team from a confederation other than Europe and South America has made it to the World Cup semi-finals, after the United States in 1930 and South Korea in 2002.
In the fifth minute Théo Hernandez scored with an acrobatic volley from a very tight angle on the left after Kylian Mbappé's shot was diverted into his path, giving France the early lead. Hernandez's goal, timed at four minutes and 39 seconds, was the fastest in a World Cup semi-final since Vavá netted in the second minute of Brazil's 5–2 win against France in 1958. Despite being in possession of the ball for most of the game, Morocco were not rewarded for this pressure and in the 79th minute, with his first touch of the game having come on as a substitute 44 seconds before, Randal Kolo Muani doubled the advantage with a close-range shot, after Mbappé had dribbled into the penalty area.
France won 2–0 and set up a final against Argentina, also continuing to make progress toward becoming the first nation to successfully defend the World Cup in 60 years after Brazil's victories in 1958 and 1962.
14 December 2022 22:00 |
France ![]() |
2–0 | ![]() |
Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor Attendance: 68,294 Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico) |
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T. Hernandez ![]() Kolo Muani ![]() |
Report |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Third place play-off[]
The two teams had previously faced each other twice, including their opening game at this World Cup, which ended 0–0. This marked the second consecutive World Cup where the teams playing in the third place match also played each other in the group stage, following Belgium vs England in 2018.
17 December 2022 18:00 |
Croatia ![]() |
2–1 | ![]() |
Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan Attendance: 44,137 Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar) |
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Gvardiol ![]() Oršić ![]() |
Report | Dari ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Final[]
- Main article:2022 FIFA World Cup Final
The two sides had met twelve times, with Argentina having won six of them, France three, and the other three matches ending in draws. They had met three times in the World Cup, with two of these in group stages: Argentina winning 1–0 in 1930 (their World Cup debut) and 2–1 in 1978. Their most recent World Cup meeting resulted in France defeating Argentina 4–3 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup round of 16, France's first win over Argentina since 1986.
Both teams were seeking to win their third World Cup title. France were the first title holders to play in the final since Brazil, whom they defeated in 1998, and were seeking to become the first nation to retain the World Cup in 60 years, after Brazil's victories in 1958 and 1962. Their coach Didier Deschamps was attempting to become the first manager to win multiple World Cup titles since Vittorio Pozzo in 1934 and 1938 with Italy. Argentina were seeking to win the title for the first time in 36 years, having won in 1978 and 1986.
Leading 2–0 at half time from Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María, Argentina conceded two goals in two minutes from Kylian Mbappé. In the extra time, Messi scored again only for Mbappé to equalise, thus making him the first player since Geoff Hurst in 1966 to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. Having scored one in 2018, he became the first player to score four goals in multiple World Cup finals as well as the first player to score eight goals in one World Cup since Ronaldo in 2002 en route to the title. Unfortunately for Mbappé, he failed to emulate Hurst's and Ronaldo's successes. Despite scoring the first, France lost 2–4 on penalty shoot-out. Argentina achieved its third world title, surpassing France and Uruguay. They also became the first non-European side to win the title since Brazil in 2002, when the World Cup was also held in Asia. France's loss was their second in a World Cup final, having been defeated by Italy in 2006 in a match which was also decided by penalties.
18 December 2022 18:00 AST |
Argentina ![]() |
3–3 | ![]() |
Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail Attendance: 88,966 Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland) |
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Messi ![]() Di María ![]() |
Report | Mbappé ![]() | ||
Penalties | ||||
Messi ![]() Dybala ![]() Paredes ![]() Montiel ![]() |
4–2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Match rules
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External links[]
2022 FIFA World Cup |
Group A · Group B · Group C · Group D · Group E · Group F · Group G · Group H · Knockout stage · Final Other: Qualification · Bids · Broadcasting rights · Controversies (Garcia Report) · Officials · Opening ceremony · Seeding · Squads · Statistics · Match Schedule Official symbols: Al Rihla (ball) · "Hayya Hayya (Better Together)" (song) · La'eeb (mascot) |
Argentina v Croatia · Argentina v France · Croatia v Brazil · Croatia v Morocco · England v France · England v Iran · England v Senegal · England v United States · France v Denmark · France v Morocco · Morocco v Portugal · Netherlands vs Argentina · Qatar v Ecuador · Spain v Germany · Wales v England |