World Cup 32 Teams Revealed! South Korea and Iran Eliminated, Round of 32 Matchups Set: 4 Key Clashes

On June 28 Beijing time, the World Cup group stage officially ended. The full list of 32 teams qualifying for the knockout rounds has been confirmed. France, Spain, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Argentina, among other title favorites, all successfully advanced. The two strong Asian teams, Iran and South Korea, regrettably exited together at the last moment.

Among the 32 teams entering the knockout stage, 24 qualified as the top two from the 12 groups, namely:

Group A: Mexico, South Africa

Group B: Switzerland, Canada

Group C: Brazil, Morocco

Group D: USA, Australia

Group E: Germany, Ivory Coast

Group F: Netherlands, Japan

Group G: Belgium, Egypt

Group H: Spain, Cape Verde

Group I: France, Norway

Group J: Argentina, Austria

Group K: Colombia, Portugal

Group L: England, Croatia

The remaining 8 spots were filled by the eight best third-placed teams from the 12 groups. Ultimately,Sweden, Ghana, Ecuador, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paraguay, Senegal, DR Congo, and Algeriabecame the lucky ones.

With the 32-team knockout field set, the bracket for the World Cup knockout stage and the Round of 32 matchups have also been fully determined. The specific pairings, brackets, and match times are as follows:

[1/4 Zone]

Germany vs Paraguay, June 30, 4:30 AM

France vs Sweden, July 1, 5:00 AM

South Africa vs Canada, June 29, 3:00 AM

Netherlands vs Morocco, June 30, 9:00 AM

[2/4 Zone]

Portugal vs Croatia, July 3, 7:00 AM

Spain vs Austria, July 3, 3:00 AM

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 2, 8:00 AM

Belgium vs Senegal, July 2, 4:00 AM

[3/4 Zone]

Brazil vs Japan, June 30, 1:00 AM

Ivory Coast vs Norway, July 1, 1:00 AM

Mexico vs Ecuador, July 1, 9:00 AM

England vs DR Congo, July 2, 0:00 AM

[4/4 Zone]

Argentina vs Cape Verde, July 4, 6:00 AM

Australia vs Egypt, July 4, 2:00 AM

Switzerland vs Algeria, July 3, 11:00 AM

Colombia vs Ghana, July 4, 9:30 AM