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The final round of the group stage of the World Cup brings with it a multitude of possibilities for each team to advance in the tournament.
This year’s contest in particular—which has already seen thrilling last-minute goals, stunning comebacks, and shock defeats of favorites—is anything but predictable. And with so many ways it can play out, every kick over the next four days will matter.
The group stage in its current form actually makes up most of the World Cup, comprising 48 of the 64 games. Within each group of four teams, it’s a round-robin-style competition to finish in the top two spots based on points: three points are earned for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. The bottom two teams from each of the eight groups are eliminated from the tournament.
And while finishing first or second ensures a team moves on to the Round of 16, the specific order in which they advance is important, too. The winner of Group A plays the runner-up of Group B, the runner-up of A plays the winner of B, and so on for Groups C and D, E and F, and G and H.
There’s something special about this stage’s final round. As of Monday evening, each team in all eight groups has faced off against two other teams in their group and has one remaining game to accumulate any more points. The stakes are raised for these third matchups, as every team knows it’s their last chance to do what they need to do to stay in the tournament. And unlike in the first two rounds, the final two matches for each group are played simultaneously, making it a nerve-wracking 90 minutes for all teams involved—and for the fans who are trying to monitor every potential outcome.
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Often teams in a group finish with the same number of…
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