WASHINGTON — With less than two weeks until the World Cup final, fans are starting to get a better picture of which team might take home the top prize.
The round of 16 got its start on Saturday with Argentina and the Netherlands securing the first spots in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
France, England, Croatia, Brazil, Morocco and Portugal followed soon after and are the remaining eight teams left in the tournament.
Similar to the knockout round, the eight teams will compete head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament for the quarterfinals. Winners advance to the semifinals with hope of playing in the final.
The World Cup final will be played in Qatar's Lusail Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. ET.
The United States, Australia, Senegal, Poland, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland were eliminated after losing their round of 16 games.
Who has qualified for the quarterfinals?
Out of the initial 16 teams in the knockout round, only eight secured a place in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup.
Argentina's Lionel Messi led his national team into the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Australia. The Netherlands eliminated the young Team USA with a 3-1 victory and will face Argentina in the tournament's first quarterfinals game.
France and England proved victorious in their respective round of 16 matchups. England will face the defending champions in the quarterfinals.
Only two games during the knockout round ended in penalty shootouts. Croatia and Japan went head-to-head in a stalemate match, but ultimately Croatia won with three goals during the penalty shots.
Morocco became the first Arab nation to land in the quarterfinals of the World Cup after beating Spain in penalties. The two had a scoreless draw throughout the game, but Morocco proved victorious in the end with 3-0 in the penalty shootout.
Brazil celebrated with samba dances and scores of goals in their match against South Korea. With a 4-1 win and a healthy Neymar, the South American team breezed into the quarterfinals.
The last match of knockout stage was Portugal against Switzerland. With their international star Cristiano Ronaldo benched, the European nation won 6-1 against Switzerland. Ronaldo's replacement, a 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos, scored three goals.
World Cup quarterfinals bracket
2022:
Argentina vs. Netherlands (Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. ET)
Croatia vs. Brazil (Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. ET)
France vs. England (Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. ET)
Morocco vs. Portugal (Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. ET).
Which teams have been eliminated from the World Cup?
- Qatar (Group A)
- Ecuador (Group A)
- Iran (Group B)
- Wales (Group B)
- Mexico (Group C)
- Saudi Arabia (Group C)
- Denmark (Group D)
- Tunisia (Group D)
- Costa Rica (Group E)
- Germany (Group E)
- Canada (Group F)
- Belgium (Group F)
- Cameroon (Group G)
- Serbia (Group G)
- Uruguay (Group H)
- Ghana (Group H)
- United States (Knockout round)
- Australia (Knockout round)
- Senegal (Knockout round)
- Poland (Knockout round)
- Japan (Knockout round)
- South Korea (Knockout round)
- Spain (knockout round)
- Switzerland (knockout round)