2022 FIFA World Cup: Full Round of 16 Match Schedule, Confirmed Qualified Teams and Knockout Stage Preview
Key keywords: FIFA World Cup Round of 16, 2022 Qatar World Cup, qualified knockout stage teams, World Cup group stage results, round of 16 match fixtures, knockout stage kickoff times, World Cup single-elimination rules, global football tournament
With the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage wrapped up on December 2, all 16 teams qualified for the first knockout round have been confirmed, alongside the full official schedule for the highly anticipated Round of 16 fixtures. The qualified line-up features 8 teams from Europe, 2 from South America, 2 from Africa, 2 from Asia, 1 from North America, and 1 from Oceania, marking one of the most geographically diverse knockout stages in World Cup history. Qualified teams are: Netherlands, Senegal (Group A top two); England, United States (Group B); Argentina, Poland (Group C); France, Australia (Group D); Japan, Spain (Group E); Morocco, Croatia (Group F); Brazil, Switzerland (Group G); Portugal, South Korea (Group H).
The Round of 16 follows a single-elimination format, with matches going to 30 minutes of extra time if tied after 90 minutes, and a penalty shootout if scores remain level after extra time. All 8 fixtures are scheduled across 4 days from December 3 to December 6, held across 7 of Qatar’s 8 World Cup stadiums, including the iconic 88,000-seat Lusail Stadium that will host the final.
The full match schedule (local Qatar time, UTC+3) is as follows: December 3, 18:00: Netherlands vs United States at Khalifa International Stadium; December 3, 22:00: Argentina vs Australia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium; December 4, 18:00: France vs Poland at Al Thumama Stadium; December 4, 22:00: England vs Senegal at Al Bayt Stadium; December 5, 18:00: Japan vs Croatia at Al Janoub Stadium; December 5, 22:00: Brazil vs South Korea at Stadium 974; December 6, 18:00: Morocco vs Spain at Education City Stadium; December 6, 22:00: Portugal vs Switzerland at Lusail Stadium. Broadcast partners will air all matches live in over 200 countries and regions globally, with multiple time zone adjusted kickoff slots to accommodate audiences across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. FIFA also confirmed that over 90% of available tickets for Round of 16 matches were sold out within 24 hours of the group stage concluding, with demand for fixtures featuring Argentina, Brazil, England and Portugal far exceeding supply.
Featured Comments
Can’t believe the USMNT actually made it out of the group this year! The Netherlands match is gonna be so tense, I’ve already booked a watch party with 10 of my friends. Fingers crossed we pull off an upset!
Messi’s final World Cup run has been so emotional already. We stumbled against Saudi Arabia in the group stage but we bounced back so hard. Beating Australia first is the first step to lifting that trophy, I know we can do it.
Our win over Germany and Spain to top Group E was insane! Croatia are the 2018 runners-up so it’s not gonna be easy, but this team has already proven they can beat anyone. I’m waking up at 3 a.m. in Tokyo to watch the match, no question.
This round of 16 lineup is way more stacked than I expected. No more easy matches for anyone at this point. I’m most excited for the Brazil vs South Korea and Morocco vs Spain fixtures, those are gonna be absolute bangers for sure.