Four teams officially qualify for the knockout round of the 2022 World Cup

Marcus Rashford (Oleg Bkhambri, Wikimedia Commons)

The first four teams have qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. From Group A, Senegal and the Netherlands are in the round of 16. From Group B, England and the United States made the knockout stage.

The Netherlands were in complete control in Group A after a 2-0 win over Senegal and a 1-1 tie against Ecuador. On Tuesday, they won the Group with a record of two wins and one draw after a 2-0 win over Qatar. The Dutch goal scorers were Cody Gakpo of PSV Eindhoven and Frankie De Jong of FC Barcelona.

Senegal meanwhile clinched second place in Group A after beating Ecuador 2-1. The Senegal goal scorers were Ismaila Sarr of England’s Watford, and centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly of England’s Chelsea.

In Group B, the only way England could not win the group was if they got clobbered by Wales. Instead, they clobbered the Welsh. Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford scored twice and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden scored once as England beat Wales 3-0. England, like the Netherlands, had a record of two wins and one draw for seven points to finish first.

The United States meanwhile finished second in Group B with a 1-0 win over Iran. The American win on Tuesday was Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic. All the United States needed to do to qualify for the knockout round was to get a win over Iran.

The United States will play the Netherlands, while Senegal plays England. The round of 16 begins Saturday, and will take place for four full days into Tuesday of next week.