The knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. Played from 3 to 18 December, the knockout stage ended with the final, held at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar between Argentina and France. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination tournament. There were 16 matches in the knockout stage, including a match for third place played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals. Morocco made history by becoming the first African and first Arab nation to reach a FIFA World Cup semi-final, defeating Spain and Portugal in the process.
Format The knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was contested between 16 teams that qualified from the group stage. Matches in the knockout stage were played to a finish. If the score of a match was level at the end of 90 minutes of playing time, extra time was played. If, after two periods of 15 minutes, the scores were still tied, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. All times listed are local in Arabia Standard Time (UTC+3).
Qualified teams The top two placed teams from each of the eight groups qualified for the knockout stage.
Group Winners Runners-up A B C D E F G H
Bracket The tournament bracket is shown below, with bold denoting the winners of each match.
Round of 16
Netherlands vs United States The teams had previously met five times, with the Netherlands winning the first four encounters. They most recently met in a June 2015 friendly, with the United States winning 4–3.
Early on in the contest, Christian Pulisic was sent through on goal for the United States but saw his shot saved by the outstretched leg of goalkeeper Andries Noppert. The Netherlands then went in front in the 10th minute, when Memphis Depay received a ball from the right from Denzel Dumfries and finished into the left corner of the net after a sequence of passes. In added time in the first half, Daley Blind made it 2–0 for the Dutch with another low finish, receiving the ball on the right from Dumfries for his second assist of the game. In the 76th minute, the United States pulled a goal back when Haji Wright finished with a deflection from Christian Pulisic's looped cross at the far post. Dumfries sealed the win with a third goal for the Netherlands five minutes later, adding to his two assists with a side-footed finish at the far post from Blind's cross.
GK 23Andries NoppertCB 2 Jurriën TimberCB 4 Virgil van Dijk (c)CB 5 Nathan Aké RWB 22Denzel DumfriesLWB 17Daley BlindCM 15Marten de Roon CM 21Frenkie de Jong AM 14Davy Klaassen CF 8 Cody Gakpo CF 10Memphis Depay Substitutions:MF 20Teun Koopmeiners FW 7 Steven Bergwijn MF 25Xavi Simons DF 3 Matthijs de Ligt FW 19Wout Weghorst Manager:Louis van Gaal GK 1 Matt TurnerRB 2 Sergiño Dest CB 3 Walker ZimmermanCB 13Tim ReamLB 5 Antonee Robinson DM 4 Tyler Adams (c)CM 6 Yunus MusahCM 8 Weston McKennie RF 21Timothy Weah CF 9 Jesús Ferreira LF 10Christian PulisicSubstitutions:FW 7 Giovanni Reyna FW 11Brenden Aaronson FW 19Haji Wright DF 22DeAndre Yedlin FW 16Jordan Morris Manager:Gregg Berhalter
Man of the Match: Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands)
Assistant referees: Bruno Boschilia (Brazil) Bruno Pires (Brazil) Fourth official: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay) Reserve assistant referee: Nicolás Taran (Uruguay) Video assistant referee: Nicolás Gallo (Colombia) Assistant video assistant referees: Juan Soto (Venezuela) Ashley Beecham (Australia) Mauro Vigliano (Argentina) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Jerson dos Santos (Angola)
Argentina vs Australia The teams had previously met seven times, with Argentina winning five, drawing one, and losing one of these encounters. The sides notably met in the 1994 FIFA World Cup inter-confederation play-off, which Argentina won 2–1 on aggregate. They also faced off in Argentina's 4–2 win at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. Their most recent meeting was in a September 2007 friendly, with Argentina winning 1–0.
On his 1,000th career appearance, Lionel Messi scored his 789th career goal and first in a World Cup knockout stage, giving Argentina the lead in the 35th minute with a low left-footed finish into the left corner. Julián Alvarez made it 2–0 in the 57th minute when he pounced on an error by Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to finish low to the net past the stranded goalkeeper. Australia pulled a goal back in the 77th minute when Craig Goodwin's strike took a huge deflection off Enzo Fernández and ended up in the right corner of the net. Australia had chances to level the match, first when Aziz Behich dribbled past four players before his shot was blocked by Lisandro Martínez, then in added time when Garang Kuol had a shot saved at close range by Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. Argentina also spurned several opportunities to add to their advantage, with substitute Lautaro Martínez guilty of squandering multiple chances.
GK 23Emiliano MartínezRB 26Nahuel Molina CB 13Cristian RomeroCB 19Nicolás OtamendiLB 8 Marcos Acuña DM 24Enzo FernándezCM 7 Rodrigo De PaulCM 20Alexis Mac Allister RF 9 Julián Alvarez CF 10Lionel Messi (c)LF 17Papu Gómez Substitutions:DF 25Lisandro Martínez FW 22Lautaro Martínez DF 3 Nicolás Tagliafico MF 14Exequiel Palacios DF 4 Gonzalo Montiel Manager:Lionel Scaloni GK 1 Mathew Ryan (c)RB 2 Miloš Degenek CB 19Harry SouttarCB 4 Kye RowlesLB 16Aziz BehichRM 7 Mathew Leckie CM 26Keanu Baccus CM 13Aaron MooyLM 14Riley McGree CF 15Mitchell Duke CF 22Jackson Irvine Substitutions:MF 10Ajdin Hrustic FW 23Craig Goodwin FW 21Garang Kuol FW 9 Jamie Maclaren DF 5 Fran Karačić Manager:Graham Arnold
Man of the Match: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Assistant referees: Paweł Sokolnicki (Poland) Tomasz Listkiewicz (Poland) Fourth official: Mario Escobar (Guatemala) Reserve assistant referee: Karen Díaz Medina (Mexico) Video assistant referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland) Assistant video assistant referees: Marco Fritz (Germany) Alessandro Giallatini (Italy) Benoît Millot (France) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Ciro Carbone (Italy)
France vs Poland The teams had met sixteen times prior to this match, with France winning eight and Poland winning three of these encounters, along with five draws. Poland's three victories included the 1982 World Cup match for third place, which they won 3–2. The sides most recently met in a friendly in June 2011, won by France 1–0.
After Olivier Giroud missed a chance for France in front of goal off a cross from Ousmane Dembélé, Poland nearly opened the scoring later in the first half when Piotr Zieliński saw two close-range shots blocked in quick succession. In the 44th minute, Giroud received a pass from Kylian Mbappé before firing low to the right corner of the net to put France into the lead, in the process also breaking the all-time French scoring record with his 52nd goal for the nation. Mbappé made it 2–0 in the 74th minute, when he received the ball on the left just inside the penalty area before firing powerfully into the top left corner of the net. Mbappé got his second of the game in the first minute of added time with a right-footed curling finish past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. In the final minute of the match, Robert Lewandowski pulled a goal back for Poland to make it 3–1 with a penalty low to the left corner, awarded after a handball by Dayot Upamecano; goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saved Lewandowski's initial attempt, but it was retaken after Lloris was deemed to have left his goal line too early.
GK 1 Hugo Lloris (c)RB 5 Jules Koundé CB 4 Raphaël VaraneCB 18Dayot UpamecanoLB 22Théo HernandezCM 8 Aurélien Tchouaméni CM 14Adrien RabiotRW 11Ousmane Dembélé AM 7 Antoine GriezmannLW 10Kylian MbappéCF 9 Olivier Giroud Substitutions:MF 13Youssouf Fofana FW 20Kingsley Coman FW 26Marcus Thuram DF 3 Axel Disasi Manager:Didier Deschamps GK 1 Wojciech SzczęsnyRB 2 Matty Cash CB 15Kamil GlikCB 14Jakub Kiwior LB 18Bartosz Bereszyński DM 10Grzegorz Krychowiak CM 20Piotr ZielińskiCM 19Sebastian Szymański RW 13Jakub Kamiński LW 24Przemysław Frankowski CF 9 Robert Lewandowski (c)Substitutions:FW 7 Arkadiusz Milik MF 21Nicola Zalewski MF 6 Krystian Bielik DF 5 Jan Bednarek MF 11Kamil Grosicki Manager:Czesław Michniewicz
Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappé (France)
Assistant referees: Jorge Urrego (Venezuela) Tulio Moreno (Venezuela) Fourth official: Kevin Ortega (Peru) Reserve assistant referee: Michael Orué (Peru) Video assistant referee: Juan Soto (Venezuela) Assistant video assistant referees: Mauro Vigliano (Argentina) Neuza Back (Brazil) Julio Bascuñán (Chile) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Martín Soppi (Uruguay)
England vs Senegal The two teams had never met before. It was also the first time England faced an African opposition in the World Cup knockout stage since a 1990 quarter-final win over Cameroon.
After a tight opening period where Senegal's Boulaye Dia saw his strike saved by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, England went in front in the 38th minute, when Jordan Henderson scored low into the net from twelve yards off a pass from Jude Bellingham on the left. In added time in the first half, reigning World Cup Golden Boot winner Harry Kane made it 2–0 with his first goal of the tournament, firing into the net from the right after a pass from Phil Foden. In the 57th minute, Foden crossed from the left for Bukayo Saka to make it 3–0 with a clipped left-footed finish over Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.
GK 1 Jordan PickfordRB 2 Kyle WalkerCB 5 John Stones CB 6 Harry MaguireLB 3 Luke ShawDM 4 Declan RiceCM 8 Jordan Henderson CM 22Jude Bellingham RF 17Bukayo Saka CF 9 Harry Kane (c)LF 20Phil Foden Substitutions:FW 11Marcus Rashford FW 7 Jack Grealish MF 19Mason Mount DF 15Eric Dier MF 14Kalvin Phillips Manager:Gareth Southgate GK 16Édouard MendyRB 21Youssouf SabalyCB 3 Kalidou Koulibaly (c) CB 22Abdou DialloLB 14Ismail Jakobs CM 11Pathé Ciss CM 6 Nampalys MendyRW 15Krépin Diatta AM 13Iliman Ndiaye LW 18Ismaïla SarrCF 9 Boulaye Dia Substitutions:MF 17Pape Matar Sarr FW 20Bamba Dieng MF 26Pape Gueye FW 19Famara Diédhiou DF 12Fodé Ballo-Touré Manager:Aliou Cissé
Man of the Match: Harry Kane (England)
Assistant referees: David Morán (El Salvador) Kathryn Nesbitt (United States) Fourth official: Saíd Martínez (Honduras) Reserve assistant referee: Helpys Raymundo Feliz (Dominican Republic) Video assistant referee: Drew Fischer (Canada) Assistant video assistant referees: Armando Villarreal (United States) Corey Parker (United States) Nicolás Gallo (Colombia) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Kyle Atkins (United States)
Japan vs Croatia The teams had previously met three times, with a draw and a win for each side. Two of these encounters were in World Cup group stages: Croatia won 1–0 in 1998, and the teams drew 0–0 in 2006. The latter draw was the most recent encounter between the two.
In the 43rd minute, Daizen Maeda scored the opener for Japan with a low finish in the penalty area, after the ball was knocked back to him from the left. Ten minutes into the second half, Ivan Perišić equalised when he headed powerfully to the right corner of the net after a cross from Dejan Lovren on the right. The match saw no further goals scored either in the ninety minutes or during extra time and thus went to a penalty shoot-out. Japan missed three of their four penalties, with all three saved by goalkeeper Dominik Livaković. After Marko Livaja's effort struck the post, Mario Pašalić scored the winning spot kick with a low shot to the left, as Croatia won the shoot-out 3–1. Livaković became the third goalkeeper to make three saves in a World Cup shoot-out, after Ricardo for Portugal in 2006 and his fellow countryman Danijel Subašić in 2018.