Iran Press/ Middle East:The knockout round, also known as the round of 16, is the second phase of the World Cup. It directly follows the group stage where 32 teams battled it out in eight different groups and 16 teams claimed the top two spots in each group, advancing to the knockouts.
During the knockout stage, the 16 teams that made it past the group stage will face teams in other groups in order to cut the field down to a total of eight teams, which will then advance to compete in the quarterfinals. From there we have the semifinals, and so on, and so forth.
The knockout round will begin on Saturday, Dec. 3 and extend until Tuesday, Dec. 6. The quarterfinals will follow from Dec. 9-10.
Each day there will be two games; the first game will take place at 10 a.m. ET and the second is slated for 2 p.m. ET.
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Now that we know the teams participating, let’s take a look at the schedule:
Saturday, Dec. 3
Netherlands-USA: 10 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. PT, 6 p.m. locally in Qatar
Argentina-Australia: 2 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. PT, 10 p.m. locally in Qatar
Netherlands vs United States
The Netherlands grabbed seven points out of Group A, but it’s no stretch to say that Group A was the weakest of the groups at the World Cup. Qatar was the worst host country ever, and while Senegal and Ecuador are solid, there were other groups with a better middle tier. Given USMNT's goal-prevention ability so far, the U.S. should prove a worthy opposition.
The United States looks to keep its 2022 World Cup run going against the Netherlands on Saturday. The USMNT enters the game as a significant underdog despite giving up just one goal over three games so far.
Argentina vs Australia
The World Cup has hardly been straightforward for Lionel Messi and Argentina thus far, but they are strong favorites ahead of their round of 16 game against Australia.
The Socceroos were a surprise package in the group stages, qualifying for the knockout rounds in Qatar courtesy of 1-0 victories against Tunisia and Denmark.
Argentina, meanwhile, bounced back from a shock opening defeat against Saudi Arabia with 2-0 wins against Mexico and Poland.
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