World Cup 2022 knockout stage: Dates, kick-off times & road to the final
The knockout rounds of the World Cup are where legends are truly made.
Through the last 16, quarter-final and semi-finals, heroes are born and history is written.
As is tradition, if 90 minutes are completed with the scores level, proceedings will move to 30 minutes of extra time. If there is still nothing to separate the two teams, a penalty shoot-out will be the decider.
GOAL has everything you need to know about the 2022 World Cup knockout stage, including fixtures, results, game dates, kick-off times and more.
World Cup 2022 knockout bracket
Success in the World Cup is often dependent on which side of the bracket your nation ends up occupying. This year, the highest-ranking footballing nations are fairly evenly spread.
On one side of the tournament tree, in groups A to D, sit the likes of Netherlands, England, Argentina, and France.
On the second side, in groups E to H, nations such as Brazil, Portugal, Japan and Morocco all have the opportunity to play each other before the final.
World Cup 2022 last-16 results
In 2022, the last-16 matches took place from the December 3 to December 6.
Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to victory over Australia, while the United States men's national team were dumped out by Louis van Gaal's Netherlands.
France defeated Poland to set up a quarter-final clash against England, who beat Senegal 3-0. Japan were dumped out by Croatia on penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw.
Brazil lived up to their billing as tournament favourites by turning on the style to coast past South Korea 4-1.
Spain were also highly fancied by many ahead of the tournament but saw their World Cup dreams ended by Morocco in a penalty shootout.
| Date | Fixture | Kick-Off Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3 | Netherlands 3-1 USA | 3pm GMT / 10am ET | Khalifa International Stadium |
| Dec 3 | Argentina 2-1 Australia | 7pm GMT / 2pm ET | Ahmed bin Ali Stadium |
| Dec 4 | France 3-1 Poland | 3pm GMT / 10am ET | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Dec 4 | England 3-0 Senegal | 7pm GMT / 2pm ET | Al Bayt Stadium |
| Dec 5 | Japan 1-1 Croatia (1-3P) | 3pm GMT / 10am ET | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Dec 5 | Brazil 4-1 South Korea | 7pm GMT / 2pm ET | Stadium 974 |
| Dec 6 | Morocco (3-0P) 0-0 Spain | 3pm GMT / 10am ET | Education City Stadium |
| Dec 6 | Portugal 6-1 Switzerland | 7pm GMT / 2pm ET | Lusail Iconic Stadium |
World Cup 2022 quarter-finals
The quarter-finals of World Cup 2022 will be played on December 9 and 10.
Croatia defeated Brazil and Argentina bested the Netherlands on December 9. On December 10, Morocco defeated Portugal while France got a narrow win against England.
You can see the dates, kick-off times and venues below.
| Date | Fixture | Kick Off Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 9 | Croatia 1-1 Brazil (4-2P) | 3pm GMT / 10am ET | Education City Stadium |
| Dec 9 | Netherlands 2-2 Argentina (3-4P) | 7pm GMT / 2pm ET | Lusail Iconic Stadium |
| Dec 10 | Morocco 1-0 Portugal | 3pm GMT / 10am ET | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Dec 10 | England 1-2 France | 7pm GMT / 2pm ET | Al Bayt Stadium |
World Cup 2022 semi-finals
Argentina booked their place in the final of the 2022 World Cup with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Croatia, in which Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez shone. France face off against Morocco in the other semi-final.
| Date | Fixture | Kick-off Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 13 | Argentina 3-0 Croatia | 7pm GMT / 2pm ET | Lusail Iconic Stadium |
| Dec 14 | France vs Morocco | 7pm GMT / 2pm ET | Al Bayt Stadium |
World Cup 2022 third-place play-off
The teams that lose in the semi-finals face off for the right to be recorded as third-place in the history books. The 2022 World Cup third-place play-off takes place the day before the final, on December 17.
| Date | Fixture | Kick-off time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17 | Croatia vs Morocco/France | 3pm GMT / 10am ET | Khalifa International Stadium |
World Cup 2022 final
| Date | Fixture | Kick Off Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18 | Argentina vs Morocco/France | 3pm GMT / 10am ET | Lusail Iconic Stadium |
The World Cup 2022 final will be played on December 18 at Lusail Iconic Stadium. It is a Sunday 3pm kick-off in the UK and an early-morning game in the U.S.