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13 of 16 knockout-phase spots have been seized
Four points will guarantee progression
The best third-placed runners-up are in the balance
Two of the three matchdays in the group stage of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™ have already been completed, with 24 games having been played. The main question ahead of the final, decisive matchday is who will qualify for the knockout phase and which teams will be heading home? FIFA.com has reviewed all the possible scenarios in the various groups and drawn up a list of who is already through to the Round of 16 and which teams still have hopes of qualifying – or fears of being knocked out. Time to get the calculators out...
Group A
Already qualified: Kazakhstan and Venezuela. In the balance: Costa Rica. Eliminated: Lithuania. How things stand: Costa Rica must wait to see if they go through as one of the best third-placed teams. In their favour, they boast a superior goal difference to Guatemala.
Group B
Already qualified: RFU and Uzbekistan. In the balance: Guatemala. Eliminated: Egypt. How things stand: Guatemala are hoping to progress as one of the best third-placed teams, but they have an inferior goal difference to Costa Rica.
Group C
Already qualified: Portugal, Morocco and Thailand. Eliminated: Solomon Islands.
Group D
Already qualified: Brazil, Czech Republic, Vietnam. Eliminated: Panama.
Group E
Already qualified: Spain. In the balance: Angola, Japan and Paraguay. How things stand: Japan and Paraguay face off in the last fixture knowing that a draw would see them both through to the knockout stage with four points each. For Angola, only a win against Spain will do, putting them on three points and leaving them looking anxiously at the other groups to see whether they are among the four best third-placed teams.
Group F
Already qualified: Argentina and IR Iran. In the balance: Serbia and USA. How things stand: USA and Serbia are both on zero points and face one another in a winner-takes-all final match. Whoever wins would at least stand a chance of reaching the Round of 16.
What the rules say…
If you want to know exactly what it will take for your team to get through to the next round, take a look at the tournament regulations and work out the various scenarios. Have fun, and may the best teams win!