The World Cup is truly a one of a kind event in the world. Over one billion people attend and watch this event every four years. This year Qatar is the first World Cup taking place during the winter. They could not play in the summer due to the temperatures reaching up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit in Qatar. The World Cup started in January of 2021 when they picked the groups from a random draw. The games officially kicked off on Sunday, Nov. 20. Now, the group stage is complete and they are down to 16 teams.

Group A: Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador and Qatar. This group had some drama on the last match day. The Netherlands were predicted to be the heavy favorites in that group and they came out on top. They will face the U.S in the round of 16. Senegal will also advance as they came in second and will play England in the round of 16.

Group B: England, USA, Iran, and Wales. Many would believe that England would just take this group by storm and that happened right away. England vs USA was the most watched match in the Group Stages. England ended up winning the group and will play Sengal in the round of 16. The USA had a win or go home game against Iran on the last match day. They won in dramatic fashion and will play Netherlands. 

Group C: Argentina, Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. The big headline of this group is that it will be Lionel Messi’s final World Cup. Argentina knew they could not waste one of the greatest players in history’s final World Cup and they were able to live up to the high expectations. They won the group and will move on to play Australia in the round of 16. Poland and Mexico were tied on points and it came down to the goal difference letting Poland advance to play France.

Group D: France, Australia, Tunisia and Denmark. France is the reigning champions and they came in as one the favorites to win the World Cup. They breezed through the group and will play Poland next. Australia had a shocking performance and placed second. They will now play Argentina in the round of 16. 

Group E:  Japan, Spain, Germany and Costa Rica. Before the World Cup started, this group was labeled as the “Group of Death”. No one truly knew how this group would end up and that held true. On the last match day, every team, at one point or another, was in the position to move. Japan ended up winning the group and will play Croatia. Spain placed second and will face Morocco. 

Group F: Morocco, Croatia, Belgium and Canada. This group included the most shocking ending results in the whole group stages. Belgium was ranked number one in the world before this competition. After many unthinkable results, they will not be advancing. Morocco topped the group and will play Spain. Croatia is moving on after placing second and playing Japan.

Group G: Brazil, Switzerland, Cameroon and Serbia. Brazil was in their best form entering the World Cup and came in as the favorite to win this group. They continued to win throughout the group stages and won the group. Now, they will face South Korea in the round of 16. Switzerland finished in second and will play Portugal. 

Group H: Portugal, South Korea, Uruguay and Ghana. This group contained another big headline. Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest in the world, is participating in the final World Cup of his career. With that in mind, Portugal came in with one goal: to win the entire tournament. They ended up winning the group and will play Switzerland in the next round. South Korea came in second and will play Brazil. 

The World Cup will continue everyday until the championship game on December 18, 2022 at 9 a.m. So far, the upsets in the group stages have already made this an unreal competition to watch. Stay tuned to Magnet for more updates regarding the World Cup. Magnet’s World Cup polls will be coming out for the next round. The next games will be play Dec. 9th and Dec. 10th.