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And now for something completely different - a World Cup recap for people who do not follow soccer [1]

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Date: 2022-12-03

Introduction

The (Football) World Cup group stage has just concluded in Qatar. The knockout stage starts today. If you are wondering how the teams got there, here is a summary of the process. I have left out the politics and bribery , which are rampant in an event generating billions of dollars. And it does not help that the World Cup is the province of a secretive, largely unaccountable group, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Background

Football is the most popular sport on Earth — both to play and watch. World Cup finals — contested every four years — are the culmination of a three-year-long competition that reduces the number of World Cup hopefuls from 211 to 32. The competition selects the 32 finalists based on geography. Qualifying tournaments take place in the six FIFA continental zones, each organized by their respective confederations: AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe).

FIFA awards each zone several spots in the finals depending on the popularity and quality of football on that continent. Europe, for instance, is allocated 13 places while Oceania gets 0.5. Of the remaining 18.5 spots Africa gets 5; Asia, 4.5 + H*; North and Central America and the Caribbean, 3.5; and South America, 4.5.

Obviously, 0.5 of a team cannot go to the finals. These fractions represent teams that will play a one-game playoff against a ‘0.5’ from another region. For example, the team that wins the Oceania spot plays the 5th qualifier from South America for a ticket to the finals. To get to this year's finals, Australia beat Peru to earn a place in Qatar.

*Qatar is the “H” in Asia's 4.5 +H, as the host country automatically gets a berth.

In the finals, the 32 teams are divided into 8 groups of 4. The group stage requires each team to play the other 3 in the group once. The winner of a group game gets 3 points, the loser 0. In a tie, both teams get 1 point. The two top teams in each group advance.

If two teams in a group have the same number of points, the one with the better goal differential (goals scored vs. goals allowed) wins the higher spot. If they are tied, the team that scored the most goals overall is favored. If they are still tied, there are a bunch more tiebreakers.

With the top two teams from 8 groups advancing, 16 teams enter the knockout phase (like the NFL playoffs). The slots assigned in this phase are based on whether a team finished 1st or 2nd in its group. And they are preassigned. For example, the #1 team in group A plays the #2 team in Group B, etc. In Qatar, this means that the Netherlands plays the USA, etc.

The winning team in each match advances. The losing team goes home.

World Cup 2022

Here is the bracket in Qatar after the group stage concluded. It shows the path each team remaining must navigate for their shot at the crown.

In every World Cup, some powerhouses fail to qualify. And some teams lower down the rankings make it. In 2022, the most notable absentee is the 4-time winner, Italy (#6 in the FIFA rankings). On the other hand, Ghana (ranked #61) did make it as the lowest-ranked team in the competition.

Only Brazil has played in all 22 World Cups. It is the winningest team with 5 trophies. Germany, in addition to Italy, has 4 trophies. Current champions France, Uruguay, and Argentina have 2. England and Spain have 1 each.

The group stage also produces upsets. In 2022, Belgium (#2), Denmark (#10), Germany (#11), and Mexico (#13) have already gone home - while Poland (#26) and Australia (#38) are through.

In the knockout stage, each game must have a winner. If the teams are tied in regulation, they play an extra 30 minutes. If the game is still tied, penalty kicks decide the winner.

The semi-final losers play a match for 3rd place. The semi-final winners play in the final for the prosaically named “FIFA World Cup Trophy.” This replaced the Jules Rimet Trophy, which was retired in 1970, and stolen in 1983. It is still missing.

The odds makers favor Brazil to win the trophy, with Argentina and France looking good. Spain, England, and Portugal also have a shot.

But count no one out. West Germany barely made the World Cup in 1954. Then, in the final match, they trailed then-powerhouse Hungary by 2 goals before finally winning 3-2 in a game now known as the “Miracle of Bern.”

World Cup trivia

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/3/2139769/-And-now-for-something-completely-different-a-World-Cup-recap-for-people-who-do-not-follow-soccer

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