FIFA World Cup 2018 is at a crucial juncture now with the final round of group games scheduled to begin on Monday. There are a lot of ups and downs the fans have witnessed at this 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. High-profile teams – Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and Colombia – that were a surety in the round of 16 before the tournament began are struggling to qualify in the next round.

Out of the eight groups, 16 teams will be going in the next round of the football World Cup. Six of them have already qualified – Russia, Uruguay, France, Croatia, England, and Belgium. The top two teams from each group will be advancing into the next round. However, if the teams are on equal points at the end of the group stage, they will advance to the next level on following criteria:

  1. The Goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned.

  2. The number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned.

  3. Head-to-Head Result

  4. Head-to-Head Goal Difference

  5. Fair play points determined by red and yellow cards at the tournament.

  6. Drawing of lots.

We, at LatestLY, bring to you likely scenarios for the teams of Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and Portugal amongst others to qualify for the next round.

Full Points Table and Likely Scenarios to Qualify in Group A at FIFA World Cup 2018:

Group A Team Standings
Pos. Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Russia 2 2 0 0 8 1 7 6
2 Uruguay 2 2 0 0 2 0 2 6
3 Egypt 2 0 0 2 1 4 -3 0
4 S. Arabia 2 0 0 2 0 6 -6 0

In Group A, both Russia and Uruguay have qualified to advance into the next round. With two wins for both Russia and Uruguay in both their games, their spot in the next round has been confirmed. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been knocked out of the World Cup 2018.

Full Points Table and Likely Scenarios to Qualify in Group B at FIFA World Cup 2018:

Group B Team Standings
Pos. Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Spain 2 1 1 0 4 3 1 4
2 Portugal 2 1 1 0 4 3 1 4
3 Iran 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
4 Morocco 2 0 0 2 0 2 -2 0

In Group B, Spain and Portugal are likely contenders; both need only a point to qualify in the round of 16. Spain can qualify even if they lose their match against Morocco; given the fact that Portugal loses by a bigger margin. For Portugal to qualify, they will have to win the match or secure a draw against Iran to advance in the next round. Morocco is out of contention for the next round.

Full Points Table and Likely Scenarios to Qualify in Group C at FIFA World Cup 2018:

Group C Team Standings
Pos. Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 France 2 2 0 0 3 1 2 6
2 Denmark 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 4
3 Australia 2 0 1 1 2 3 -1 1
4 Peru 2 0 0 2 0 2 -2 0

In Group C, France has already qualified for the round of 16 with two wins in two matches. Denmark will need a win or a draw at least to secure a place in the next round. Australia will need a win and hope that Denmark loses more than two goals in their match against France. Peru is out of contention to advance in next round.

Full Points Table and Likely Scenarios to Qualify in Group D at FIFA World Cup 2018:

Group D Team Standings
Pos. Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Croatia 2 2 0 0 5 0 5 6
2 Nigeria 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
3 Iceland 2 0 1 1 1 3 -2 1
4 Argentina 2 0 1 1 1 4 -3 1

In Group D, Croatia has already qualified with two victories in two matches. For Nigeria to qualify, they will need a draw or a win against the Lionel Messi-side. For Iceland to qualify, they need to beat Croatia and hope that they have bigger goal difference than Argentina.

The Lionel Messi side will need more than a victory against Nigeria to advance in the round of 16. For Argentina to qualify, they would want Croatia to beat Iceland. Even if Iceland beats Croatia and Argentina beats Nigeria, the matter will boil down to bigger goal difference.

Full Points Table and Likely Scenarios to Qualify in Group E at FIFA World Cup 2018:

Group E Team Standings
Pos. Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Brazil 2 1 1 0 3 1 2 4
2 Switzerland 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 4
3 Serbia 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
4 Costa Rica 2 0 0 2 0 3 -3 0

In Group E, two teams amongst Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia can qualify for the round of 16 at FIFA World Cup 2018. Brazil will need a draw or a victory in their last group match. Switzerland needs to win the game or can even qualify if they draw their last match; however, Serbia should draw or lose against Brazil in that scenario. Costa Rica is out of contention.

Full Points Table and Likely Scenarios to Qualify in Group F at FIFA World Cup 2018:

Group F Team Standings
Pos. Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Mexico 2 2 0 0 3 1 2 6
2 Germany 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
3 Sweden 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
4 South Korea 2 0 0 2 1 3 -2 0

In Group F, the most open of all groups, all four teams can qualify. For Mexico to qualify, they need to hold their nerves and emerge victoriously or secure a draw against Sweden.

For Germany, they like Argentina will need more than a win against South Korea. Even if they win, they would be hoping that Sweden draws or loses their last game. However, if both Sweden and Germany win or secure draws in their respective matches, the goal difference will come into the picture. If that remains the same after the games, then the head-to-head result will come into play, where Germany has the edge over Sweden with a 2-1 victory.

South Korea can qualify too if they manage to beat Germany and have a bigger goal difference than what Sweden has after their match against Mexico.

Full Points Table and Likely Scenarios to Qualify in Group G at FIFA World Cup 2018:

Group G Team Standings
Pos. Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 England 2 2 0 0 8 2 6 6
2 Belgium 2 2 0 0 8 2 6 6
3 Tunisia 2 0 0 2 3 7 -4 0
4 Panama 2 0 0 2 1 9 -8 0

In Group G, with two wins in their two matches, both England and Belgium have already qualified for the round of 16. Also, Tunisia and Panama stand no chance to advance and are out of contention.

Full Points Table and Likely Scenarios to Qualify in Group H at FIFA World Cup 2018:

Group H Team Standings
Pos. Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Japan 2 1 1 0 4 3 1 4
2 Senegal 2 1 1 0 4 3 1 4
3 Colombia 2 1 0 1 4 2 2 3
4 Poland 2 0 0 2 1 5 -4 0

In Group H, Japan needs to secure a draw at least against Poland to qualify for the next round. A loss would make things interesting if the match between Senegal and Colombia is a draw. For both Senegal and Colombia, it will be the winner of the two who will qualify for the match. Poland is out of contention already.

The FIFA World Cup 2018 has turned out to be quite dramatic than it was expected to be. With teams like Argentina, Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Brazil, Spain, and Portugal not able to advance in the next round, is itself a story. As the last group matches are slated to begin from Monday, we hope that the best team in the group advances to the round of 16. However, the question remains – Will Argentina, Germany, and Brazil qualify for the round of 16?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2018 09:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).