World Cup: How Teams Can Advance to the Next Round
The World Cup's group's stage comes to a conclusion Thursday -- and 16 of the tournament's 32 teams will advance to the round of 16.
So far, Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Colombia and Greece have all advanced to the next round.
Over the next two days, four more groups will be decided.
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The top two teams with the most points go through. Goal differential, used as a tie-breaker when teams are even with points, accounts for the number of goals a team has scored minus the ones it has allowed.
Here are the way the scenarios play out in the remaining group:
Group E:
France is favored to finish first, while either Ecuador and Switzerland are also in the best position to finish second. France (6 points, goal differential 6) -- Advances and wins the group with a win or draw against Ecuador.Ecuador (3 points, goal differential 0) -- Advances with a win against France.Switzerland (3 points, goal differential -2) -- Advances with a victory against Honduras coupled with a France win over Ecuador while overcoming goal differential.
Honduras (0 points, goal differential -4) -- Advances with a win versus Switzerland and a France win over Ecuador while overcoming goal differential.
Group F:
Argentina has also advanced, while Nigeria and Iran also remain in contention.Argentina (6 points, goal differential 2) -- Already through to the next round. Wins group with a win or draw against Nigeria.Nigeria (4 points, goal differential 1) -- Advances with a win or draw versus Argentina.Iran (1 point, goal differential -1) -- Advances with a win versus Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina win against Nigeria while overcoming goal differential.
Group G:
All four teams are alive in this group. Any two can clinch a spot to the next round.Germany (4 points, goal differential 4) -- Advances and wins group with either a victory or draw against the United States.
United States (4 points, goal differential 1) -- Advances and wins the group with a victory against Germany. A draw also qualifies them.
Ghana (1 point, goal differential -1) -- Advances with a win against Portugal and a United States or Germany loss while overcoming goal differential.
Portugal (1 point, goal differential -4) -- Advances with a win and a United States or Germany loss while overcoming goal differential.
Group H:
Belgium is through to the next round, while Algeria, Russia and South Korea all have a chance to also advance. Belgium (6 points, goal differential 2) -- Already through to the next round. Wins group with a win or draw versus South Korea.Algeria (3 points. goal differential 1) -- Advances with a victory against Russia.Russia (1 point, goal differential -1) -- Advances with a win against Algeria and either a Belgium victory versus South Korea or a South Korea win that does not overcome its goal differential.
South Korea (1 point, goal differential -2) -- Advances with a victory against Belgium coupled with a Russia win against Algeria or Russia draw versus Algeria while overcoming its goal differential.
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