SOCCER WORLD CUP ARTICLES

France has already locked up its spot in the knockout rounds. Now, the goal is to finish first in Group C. Les Bleus have been able to pick up wins in their first two matches, but it wasn’t easy. Peru and Australia both tested the favorites to win the group, yet France persevered and grabbed the three points each time. They will be playing Denmark in their last match and will top the group as long as they get a result. Meanwhile, the Danes qualify for the Round of 16 with a result and will do everything in their power to grab at least a draw. ... 

This has been Iran’s most successful World Cup to date. No one expected much out of Team Melli in a group that included powerhouses Spain and Portugal and an upstart in Morocco, and many assumed they would be fortunate to get a point in those three matches. However, Iran’s play has surpassed all expectations and now the team finds itself in position to potentially qualify for the knockout round of the World Cup for the first time ever. ... 

Australia has its work cut out for it if it is going to make the knockout rounds. The Socceroos are sitting on just one point heading into their last match of Group C, and they need a win and some help in order to edge out Denmark for the group’s final spot. They will be looking to run it up on Peru, who are pretty unfortunate to have zero points in their two matches. The Incas were eliminated from World Cup contention after losing to France on Thursday, but they will be looking to go out on a high note with a result. ... 

Although they have played well in Russia, this will be Morocco’s last match at this World Cup. Morocco was in good form against both Iran and Portugal, but lost to both of those teams and are subsequently four points outside of qualification in Group B. Yet they can still play spoiler. If they somehow find a way to beat Spain by multiple goals in their finale, they would keep La Roja out of the knockout rounds if Iran picks up a result against Portugal. It’s very unlikely, but Morocco has been much better than its two losses might indicate. ... 

Unfortunately for both Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the only thing at stake is pride when they meet on Monday morning. Each side has had a disappointing World Cup. Both teams were unable to get a result in matches with Uruguay and Russia, and those two teams will be moving on to the knockout round while the two Middle Eastern nations head home. Each side would love to end their time in Russia on a high note though. Egypt is still in search of its first ever World Cup victory, while Saudi Arabia is looking for its first win since making the Sweet Sixteen in 1994. ... 

No matter what happens now, Russia has to consider the World Cup a success. Russia has already clinched a spot in the knockout rounds prior to its final match against Uruguay. Despite looking shaky in their friendlies leading up to the competition, they have hammered their opponents and are now going to make it out of the Group Stage for the first time since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. A win or a draw will lead to them beating out Uruguay for the top spot due to goal differential, while a loss will give Uruguay the group and force Russia to face the winner of Group B. ... 

If you had asked any analyst their predictions for Group H prior to the World Cup, the vast majority of them would have told you that Poland and Colombia would be the two teams to make it out in some order. Few would have said that coming into the second set of matches, both of these teams find themselves in a precarious position. That’s exactly where we are though. Colombia and Poland both lost their openers, and now each team is desperate for a win in order to rise out of the cellar. A win for either team would put it in a decent position to advance, while a loss would virtually eliminate the other. ... 

Before the World Cup started, many expected Japan and Senegal to be the two odd teams out in Group H. Although the group was somewhat wide open, the general consensus was that Poland and Colombia would be the teams to advance. However, that thought was turned on its head after the first day of action. Japan and Senegal each picked up wins, and now the group is wide open. Each team is now in good position to advance, and if one of the teams is able to pick up the victory here, they will almost guarantee themselves a spot in the knockout rounds. ... 

England is in the position it expected to be in after its first match, but it wasn’t easy. Their blushes were spared thanks to a stoppage time goal from superstar Harry Kane. Still, three points are three points and considering what happened with Brazil, Argentina, and Germany, England will take victories any way they can get them. The Three Lions will look to pick up one more when they take on Panama in the first match on Sunday. A win for England would virtually guarantee them a spot in the Round of 16, while anything but a win for Panama would likely crush their scant hopes. ... 

Mexico is on cloud nine at the moment. El Tri pulled off the upset of the tournament thus far when they knocked off defending champions Germany in their opener. A year after they were trounced 4-1 in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, Juan Carlos Osorio’s side was able to extract a considerable amount of revenge. ... 

Belgium is looking to cement its spot in the knockout rounds with a win over Tunisia in this match. The Belgians are on top of Group G after a strong performance in their opener against Panama and are looking to put themselves in position to win the group. As for Tunisia, they find themselves in a tough spot. The Carthage Eagles nearly picked up a draw in their opener only to be foiled by an injury time goal. Now, Tunisia likely needs to pick up the full three points if they have any hope of getting to the knockout round. ... 

Can Sweden do it again? Sweden made a name for itself as a giant killer during its run to the World Cup. Despite being placed in a group with France and the Netherlands, they made it into the playoff and then qualified from there after holding Italy scoreless over the span of 180 minutes. That left both the Dutch and the Italians out of the World Cup, stunning fans in both countries. A win over Germany here would be their greatest feat yet, as it would likely knock the defending champions out of the World Cup in the Group Stage. ... 

Unless something totally bonkers happens, either Switzerland or Serbia will make it to the knockout rounds. That was expected heading into the World Cup as the teams had roughly even odds to make it out of Group E. ... 

Most analysts predicted Iceland and Nigeria to be the two teams that failed to make it out of Group D at the start of the World Cup. They were seen as a clear tier behind Croatia and Argentina, but one of the two is in a decent position heading into this match. Iceland picked up a draw against Argentina and now they have a chance of making it into the knockout rounds. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s chances rely on picking up a win here, so they will be pressing to grab the three points. ... 

There is a lot of pressure on Brazil to not just win, but win big, in their match against Costa Rica on Friday. Brazil was an overwhelming favorite to win Group E before the World Cup kicked off. They were expected to dominate this group and were the favorite to win the whole enchilada as well. However, they are in a precarious position after a draw against Switzerland in the opener and need a win. That has made Brazil a slightly bigger favorite than they normally would be given the circumstances. ... 

Argentina were supposed to have no problem topping Group D. The Argentines were the favorite to win this group coming into the World Cup, but they were underwhelming in their draw with Iceland. With a couple of breaks, Iceland could have won the game and put Argentina in a real tough position. ... 

Denmark is looking to make it to the knockout rounds of the World Cup for the first time since 2002. The Danes are in a good position following their first match of the tournament. They were able to best Peru and put themselves in the driver’s seat with the win. Now, a win over Australia in this match would all but guarantee them a spot in the Round of 16. The Socceroos showed that they were more than ready for the challenge in their match against France though. ... 

Peru finds itself in an unenviable position heading into its match against Group C favorite France. The Incas failed to get a result against Denmark in their opener and now need to find a way to get at least a draw in this match. A loss would likely eliminate them from the World Cup, while France is looking to essentially punch its ticket to the knockout round with a win. That should make this match a very fun one to watch. ... 

With Vladimir Putin looking on from the presidential box, Russia got its World Cup off to a dream start on Thursday. The hosts poured it on against Saudi Arabia, crushing the outmatched country 5-0. The victory puts Russia in a fantastic spot in Group A, as they are likely to win any tiebreaker now with such a big win. That will put the onus on Egypt in this match. Egypt is an underdog in its opening match against Uruguay, and a draw or a loss versus Russia will likely spell doom to its World Cup hopes. ... 

Uruguay has to be excited about its match with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Following Saudi Arabia’s lackluster display in its opener against Russia, Uruguay fully expects to grab three points and a comfortable win. If they can pick up a win against Egypt on Friday and couple that with a win in this match, Uruguay could very well be the first team to qualify for the Round of 16. However, crazier things have happened at the World Cup, and Saudi Arabia is looking to pull off what would be a monumental stunner with a result of any sort. ... 

This match might end up being a must win for Portugal if things don’t go right in their opener. Portugal faces its Iberian Peninsula rival, Spain, in its first World Cup game. Those two teams are roundly expected to be the two that make it out of Group B. However, a loss for Portugal would put a lot of pressure on them to beat Morocco here. A draw could put them in the unenviable position of needing a big win against Iran in the finale to advance and hope that Spain doesn’t settle for a draw against this side. That nightmare scenario would lead to Portugal failing to make it to the knockout round. ... 

Iran has an uphill battle as it looks to get to the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time in the country’s history. Team Melli has only managed to get one win in four previous appearances at the World Cup, and they are massive underdogs to make it out of Group B. ... 

Group H is the most wide-open group of them all, and both Senegal and Poland are looking to capitalize on being placed in a group without a clear favorite. This is just Senegal’s second trip to the World Cup, and they are looking to recreate their magical run in 2002. Then, the Lions of Teranga made it all the way to the Quarterfinals before bowing out. Meanwhile, Poland is looking to make it to the knockout rounds for the first time in 32 years. The country is experiencing a soccer renaissance and they are looking to capitalize. ... 

It will be a little bit of déjà vu when Colombia and Japan meet in the first Group H match on Tuesday. These two sides were paired together in the Group Stage at the 2014 World Cup, with Colombia securing a 4-1 victory on their way to topping the group with a 3-0 mark. ... 

England have had their fair share of disappointment at the World Cup. The Three Lions have been unable to make it to the semifinals since 1990, and they failed to get out of the Group Stage in Brazil, coming in dead last. The English are big favorites to come out of Group G this time though. England and Belgium are seen as the two powers in this group, while Tunisia and Panama are seen as the also-rans. Tunisia will look to prove that isn’t the case when they take on England in the last match on Monday. ...