Going into the final day of group play at the , there are essentially eight teams vying for four spots in the round of 32.
Tournament co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico have all advanced, along with France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Norway and others.
will face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California, while Canada heads to Southern California to face South Africa on Sunday. Other marquee matchups are set, including Morocco versus the Netherlands, Japan versus Brazil and Norway versus Ivory Coast.
Third place in a group is no guarantee of advancing. The eight best third-place teams get in with ties broken by goal differential and goals scored, if necessary.
Teams with four points 鈥� a win, a draw and a loss 鈥� almost certainly will make the round of 32. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sweden, and have already advanced that way.
Scotland and are waiting for lots of things to go right to make the knockout stage in a long shot bid with three points. Iran and South Korea are also among those on the bubble.
Here’s what to watch Saturday:
Group L
Panama vs. England and Croatia vs. Ghana (5 p.m. ET): England and Ghana have qualified, though first in the group is still to be decided. Croatia gets through with a win or a draw, while Panama has already been eliminated.
Group K
Colombia vs. Portugal and Congo vs. Uzbekistan (7:30 p.m. ET): Whoever wins between already-qualified Colombia and Portugal finishes atop the group, with Colombia getting it if they draw. Congo is in with a win or draw but out with a loss, and Uzbekistan has long odds and likely needs to win in a romp.
Group J
Algeria vs. Austria and Jordan vs. Argentina (10 p.m. ET): Barring a multigoal loss by Croatia against Ghana earlier, the winner of Algeria-Austria advances and the loser still has a chance, while a draw would get Austria in and probably Algeria, too. Argentina has won the group, while Jordan has already been eliminated.
Here are the round of 32 matchups already set:
US vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina, July 1
The Americans had their powerful momentum from two consecutive victories stalled . But in the knockout round, they鈥檒l face a that is 62nd in the FIFA rankings 鈥� the lowest-ranked World Cup qualifier from Europe. Bosnia finished third in Group B with four points. U.S. star entered as a substitute in the second half against Turkey. He had not played since leaving the opening win over Paraguay at halftime with a calf injury. 鈥淲e play every game like a knockout game,鈥� said U.S. midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who scored against Turkey. 鈥淵ou saw that in our intensity and the way we worked. For us, it鈥檚 keep doing what we鈥檝e been doing.鈥�
South Africa vs. Canada, June 28
These nations have already made history. It鈥檒l be the first time both are in the knockout stage of the World Cup. advanced as runner-up in Group B with four points 鈥� one win, one draw and one loss. was runner-up in Group A, also with four points, including a surprising win over South Korea.
Brazil vs. Japan, June 29
advanced as Group F runner-up with a hard fought 1-1 draw against Sweden and the Samurai Blue鈥檚 reward is a knockout match against five-time World Cup champion . It鈥檒l be a full-circle moment for Japan, which brought in Brazilian great Zico in 1991 to professionalize the country鈥檚 new domestic league and support Japan鈥檚 successful bid to co-host the World Cup in 2002. Now, the Japanese have a chance to show how far they鈥檝e come against a country that has set the standard.
Netherlands vs. Morocco, June 29
won Group F after a draw with Japan and outscoring Sweden and Tunisia by a combined 8-2. went unbeaten to finish second in Group C in pursuit of becoming the first African winner of the World Cup. Morocco reached the semifinals four years ago in Qatar.
France vs. Sweden, June 30
France came in as the tournament favorite and remains it after of its group games to set up a matchup against Sweden, which had a , a and .
Germany vs. Paraguay, June 29
Germany comes into the knockout stage off a as the U.S., having already clinched its group with little to play for. Germany is a significant favorite against Paraguay, which lost to the U.S. 4-1 in its opener but steadied itself enough to move on.
Australia vs. Egypt, July 3
This may be one of the most evenly matched round of 32 games, after Australia , and drew with Paraguay. as the second-place team in Group G after a late goal by Iran on Friday night was called back for offside.
Argentina vs. Cape Verde, July 3
Defending champion Argentina faces the for the knockout stage at a World Cup. Unsurprisingly, Cape Verde goes in as a massive underdog.
Brazil vs. Japan, June 29
After an opening draw against Morocco, Brazil won its next two by 3-0 scores, with to silence critics and from injury. Japan has a couple of draws and a to show for itself so far.
Norway vs. Ivory Coast, June 30
It would have taken beating favored France for Norway to win Group I. Instead, coach St氓le Solbakken Erling Haaland and all but one starter. That sets up a matchup against the Ivory Coast at the Dallas Cowboys鈥� stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.
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