Dec 2 (Reuters) – As the World Cup in Qatar approaches its knockout stage, here’s a look at the teams that have been eliminated from the tournament, which ends on Dec. 18.
What is the group stage format?
* Round-robin format where each of the 32 teams plays three matches in four groups. Teams get three points for a win and one point for a draw.
* The top two in each group advance to the last 16, where the knockout stage begins on December 3, with one-off matches going to extra time and then penalties if necessary to decide the winner.
Which teams have qualified for the knockout stage?
* Group A: Netherlands and Senegal
* Group B: England and United States
* Group C: Argentina and Poland
* Group D: France and Australia
* Group E: Japan and Spain
* Group F: Morocco and Croatia
Which teams have been eliminated from the World Cup?
Qatar
* Hosts Qatar are the first team to be eliminated after defeats to Ecuador (2-0) and Senegal (3-1). They ended their campaign without a point after a 2–0 defeat against the Netherlands in their final group stage match.
Ecuador
* Ecuador came agonizingly close to reaching the last 16 and matching their previous best performance in 2006, but were eliminated after a 2-1 defeat by African champions Senegal.
Iran
* Despite being beaten 6-2 by England in their Group B opener, Iran’s 2-0 win over Wales gave them a glimmer of hope of making history through to the last 16.
* However, a 1-0 defeat against the United States eliminated them from the competition.
Wales
* Wales, competing in the global showpiece tournament for the first time since 1958, finished last in Group B with one point and one goal.
Mexico
* Mexico missed out on the knockout stages after finishing behind Poland on goal difference, ending a run of seven consecutive last-16 appearances at the World Cup.
* Mexico coach Tata accepts full responsibility for Martino’s departure and says his contract with the federation (FMF) will not be extended.
Saudi Arabia
* After opening their campaign with a stunning 2-1 win over Argentina in Qatar, Saudi Arabia lost 2-0 to Poland and saw their hopes of the knockout stage disappear with a 2-1 loss to Mexico.
Tunisia
* Tunisia beat defending champions France 1-0 in their last Group D match but it was not enough for them to progress to the last 16 after drawing with Denmark and beating Australia in their first two matches.
Denmark
* Denmark finished last in Group D after a draw against Tunisia and losses to France and Australia.
Germany
* Germany crashed out of the World Cup at the group stage for the second time in a row, finishing third in Group E behind Japan and Spain.
Costa Rica
* Costa Rica were eliminated after suffering a 4-2 defeat by Germany in their final Group E match, which dropped to three points after a 7-0 loss to Spain before beating Japan 1-0.
Belgium
* Belgium, the favorites to qualify from Group F, finished third in their group with four points, winning one of their three matches.
* Belgium coach Roberto Martinez, in charge of the team since 2016 and leading them to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, said he was stepping down after his team’s exit.
Canada
* Canada, making their first World Cup appearance since 1986, finished last in Group F with three defeats.
Compiled by Adi Nair in Bangalore; Edited by Hugh Lawson
Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
