Suspense in the heights. The framework for the 32nd phase of the World Cup will remain undefined until the end of the group stage, on Saturday (27th), due to a complex, unprecedented regulation that offers 495 possible combinations, a consequence of the expansion from 32 to 48 teams in this World Cup.
The World Cup has required 7 matches since 1998: 3 in the group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final; Now, there is one more knockout stage, the 32 round.
When 32 teams competed in the tournament, things were simple: the first and second placed teams from the eight groups advanced to the round of 16, the other two were eliminated.
But things get complicated in this edition, in which it is necessary to reduce 48 teams to 32 to compete in the first knockout phase. Thus, in addition to the top two of the 12 groups, the eight best third-placed teams also advance.
And it is precisely this “extra life” that makes the rest of the table unpredictable, as the fight to be one of the eight best third-placed teams will continue until the end, and this will depend on the result of the last group stage matches, Argentina x Jordan and Algeria x Austria, both scheduled simultaneously at 11pm on Saturday (27).
Albiceleste is already guaranteed first place in Group J, Jordan is already out and Austria and Algeria are competing for the next places. One of the two will definitely advance, as second in the group. The other may qualify as third, depending on their final score compared to the performance of the third-placed teams in the other brackets.
Once the classifieds have been defined, nothing is left to chance. On the contrary, it is a complex exercise in calculating possibilities including three restrictions:
- Only the first placed teams from eight groups (A, B, D, E, G, I, K and L) will face one of the best third parties in the 32nd stage. The other four knockout duels will pit the first against the second in Groups C and F, and Groups H and J.
- A first-placed team cannot face the third-placed team in its own group.
- FIFA opted for a closed system in which a first-placed team will face a third-placed team from an already known closed list of five groups, rather than the eight in total.
Based on these restrictions, FIFA produced and published before the World Cup a predefined table that provides 495 match possibilities, depending on which of the 12 groups provides the 8 best third parties.
In the regulations for the 23rd edition of the World Cup, there are up to 18 pages of annexes to list these 495 possible combinations. On Sunday, we will know which one is correct.
