Belgium and England are in from Group G while Colombia and Japan made it from Group H. Five-time champion Brazil and Switzerland have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2018 Round of 16 from Group E. Sweden beat Mexico 3-0 and both the teams qualified for Round of 16 from Group F with six points each. The group also saw the one of the biggest upset in the history of FIFA World Cup with defending champions Germany getting knocked out after losing 0-2 to South Korea. Croatia topped Group D while Argentina sneaked into the last 16 with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Nigeria.
Uruguay and Russia from Group A, and Spain and Portugal from Group B qualified for the Round of 16. From Group C, it is France and Denmark who are in the last 16. The 32 teams divided into eight groups are taking part in the month-long tournament. A total of 64 matches has been scheduled which will be played across 12 venues in the country.
Following are points tables of the 8 groups:
Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
| Group A Points Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Uruguay (Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Russia (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 3 |
| Egypt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 0 |
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
| Group B Points Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Spain (Q) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Portugal (Q) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Iran | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Morocco | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 1 |
Group C: France, Australia, Peru, Denmark
| Group C Points Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| France (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Denmark (Q) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Peru | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Australia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 1 |
Group D: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
| Group D Points Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Croatia (Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| Argentina (Q) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 4 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| Iceland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 1 |
Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
| Group E Points Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Brazil (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Switzerland (Q) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Serbia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| Costa Rica | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 0 |
Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea
| Group F Points Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Sweden (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Mexico (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 6 |
| South Korea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Germany | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
Group G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
| Group G Points Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Belgium (Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| England (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Tunisia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 3 |
| Panama | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -9 | 0 |
Group H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan
| Group H Points Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| Colombia (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Japan (Q) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Senegal | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Poland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 3 |
There are 23 players in the final team announced by each nation. While all the 32 nations are eyeing the coveted FIFA World Cup trophy, the main contest is likely to be between defending champion Germany, five-time winner Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Portugal and France.
