Dec 2 (Reuters) – With the World Cup in Qatar approaching the knockout stage, here’s an overview of the teams eliminated from the tournament, which concludes on 18 December.
WHAT IS THE FORM FOR THE GROUP STAGE?
* Round-robin format with each of the 32 teams playing three games in groups of four. Teams get three points for a win and one 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 that can go to extra time and then penalties if necessary to decide the winner.
WHICH TEAMS HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE KNOCK OUT 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 BANNED FROM THE WORLD CUP?
Qatar
* Hosts Qatar were the first team to be eliminated after defeats by Ecuador (2-0) and Senegal (3-1). They ended their campaign without a point after losing 2-0 to 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 losing 2-1 to 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 for a historic run to the last 16.
* However, a 1-0 loss to the United States knocked them out of the tournament.
WALES
* Wales, participating in a world exhibition tournament for the first time since 1958, finished bottom of Group B with one point and one goal.
MEXICO
* Mexico missed out on the knockout stage after finishing behind Poland on goal difference, ending a run of seven consecutive appearances in the last 16 at the World Cup.
* Mexico coach Tata Martino accepted full responsibility for their exit and said he would not extend his contract with the federation (FMF).
Saudi Arabia
* After opening their campaign in Qatar with a stunning 2-1 win over Argentina, Saudi Arabia lost 2-0 to Poland and saw their hopes of making the knockout stages disappear with a 2- 1 from Mexico.
TUNISIA
* Tunisia beat defending champions France 1-0 in their final Group D match but it was not enough to qualify for the last 16 after drawing with Denmark and losing to Australia in their opening two games.
DENMARK
* Denmark finished bottom of Group D after drawing with Tunisia and losing to France and Australia.
GERMANY
* Germany were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage for the second straight time, finishing third in Group E behind Japan and Spain.
Costa Rica
* Costa Rica were knocked out after a 4-2 defeat by Germany in their final Group E match, which left them with three points after losing 7-0 to Spain before beating Japan 1-0.
BELGIUM
* Belgium, favorites to qualify from Group F, finished third in their group with four points after winning just one of their three games.
* Belgium coach Roberto Martinez, who has been in charge of the team since 2016 and led them to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, said he is stepping down from the job after his team’s exit.
CANADA
* Canada, making their first World Cup appearance since 1986, finished bottom of Group F with three losses.
Written by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru. Editor: Hugh Lawson
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
