The World Cup is the highest-level soccer tournament organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and is held every four years. In the preliminary stage of the World Cup, participating countries are divided into groups, and teams within each group play a round-robin tournament to qualify for the knockout stage. According to FIFA, there are 32 teams in the group stage of the World Cup, divided into eight groups of four teams each. In the group stage, each team plays a match against 3 other teams in a total of 3 rounds of matches.
The group stage has a very tight schedule, which is usually decided by drawing lots a few days before the start of the tournament. The four teams within each group play on different schedules to ensure that the teams within each group are able to have enough rest. The World Cup group stage is usually completed in about two weeks. Teams within each group play on different dates to ensure continuity of play and adequate rest. The dates and times of matches are finalized as soon as the schedule is announced, allowing teams and fans to know their schedule in advance.
At the end of the group stage, based on the performance of the teams within each group, the teams advancing to the knockout stage are determined. According to the rules, the top two teams within each group advance to the next round, the knockout stage. If two or more teams have the same number of points at the end of the group stage, FIFA determines the rankings based on a number of rules. These rules include goal difference, total goals scored, and direct confrontation. If this is still not decided, additional matches may be played to determine the advancing teams.
The group stage is an important opportunity for each participating country to showcase its strengths in the World Cup. Teams that perform well are able to accumulate enough points in the group stage to lay the foundation for advancing to the knockout stage. Therefore, teams usually go all out in the group stage to achieve good results. The results of the group stage also have a direct impact on the expectations and attention of the fans. If a popular team suffers back-to-back losses in the group stage, its chances of advancing to the knockout stage will be greatly reduced, which will be a huge disappointment for the fans.
The group stage of the World Cup is the primary stage of the tournament, where each team has to go through 3 intense matches to qualify for the knockout stage. The tight schedule of the group stage is a great challenge for every team. At the same time, the results of the group stage have a direct impact on the team's performance and fans' expectations. Hopefully, through the introduction of this article, you have a clearer understanding of the World Cup group stage matches and system.
