It was the Netherlands and Senegal who claimed the two Round of 16 berths from Group A after the group action wrapped up on November 29.
The Dutch side entered the final day at the top of the table in Group A and few doubted they would take care of business against lowly Qatar, who closed their first World Cup with three group stage losses. The hosts were eliminated after their second matchday.
The real intrigue surrounded the other knockout round berth that was up for grabs between African champions Senegal and rising South American power Ecuador. The match was competitive, and the two exchanged goals before Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly claimed the final blow and clinched the 2-1 win for the Lions of Teranga.
Ecuador had fought back from 1-0 down after Ismaila Sarr gave Senegal a lead on a penalty kick. Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo equalized for Ecuador on a tap-in off a set-piece and it looked like Ecuador would be heading to the Round of 16. But Koulibaly got the final say and snatched back the berth for Senegal, who move on despite being without their captain Sadio Mane.
Netherlands will next face the runner-up in Group B, while Senegal will take on the winner of the same group. England, Iran, USA, and Wales make up Group B.
MORE: Full World Cup 2022 Schedule: All the games, times, dates and fixtures
World Cup Group A final table
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Netherlands-Q | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| 2. Senegal-Q | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| 3. Ecuador-E | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| 4. Qatar-E | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | -6 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group A results
| Date | Match | |
| Sun, Nov. 20 | Qatar 0, Ecuador 2 | HIGHLIGHTS |
| Mon, Nov. 21 | Senegal 0, Netherlands 2 | HIGHLIGHTS |
| Fri, Nov. 25 | Qatar 1, Senegal 3 | HIGHLIGHTS |
| Fri, Nov. 25 | Netherlands 1, Ecuador 1 | HIGHLIGHTS |
| Tues, Nov. 29 | Netherlands 2, Qatar 0 | HIGHLIGHTS |
| Tues, Nov. 29 | Ecuador 1, Senegal 2 | HIGHLIGHTS |
World Cup group tiebreakers
There were no tiebreakers needed in Group A.
FIFA confirmed a continuation of their group-stage final standings and tiebreaking criteria for the 2022 World Cup, with the final positions ranked based on following the system below.
- Points obtained in all group matches
- Goal difference in all group matches
- Number of goals scored in all group matches
- Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question
- Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question
- Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question
- Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction can be applied to a player in a single match):
- Yellow card: −1 point;
- Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
- Direct red card: −4 points;
- Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
- Drawing of lots.
World Cup 2022 Group A betting odds
The pre-tournament betting odds had the Netherlands and Senegal going through and those projections proved accurate. They also predicted Ecuador would come close and they fell just one equalizer short against Senegal in the final group game.
Here are the odds via BetMGM (USA), SkyBet (U.K.), Sports Interaction (Canada), and Ladbrokes (Australia).
| Team | To win group |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | -250 (US) 1/2 (UK) 1.41 (CAN) 1.50 (AU) |
| Senegal | +450 (US) 4/1 (UK) 5.61 (CAN) 5.50 (AU) |
| Ecuador | +500 (US) 11/2 (UK) 5.79 (CAN) 5.50 (AU) |
| Qatar | +1600 (US) 11/1 (UK) 16.00 (CAN) 13.00 (AU) |
| Team | To qualify |
| Netherlands | -1400 (US) 1/7 (UK) 1.13 (CAN) 1.10 (AU) |
| Senegal | -105 (US) 5/6 (UK) 1.92 (CAN) 1.91 (AU) |
| Ecuador | -110 (US) 11/10 (UK) 1.82 (CAN) 1.91 (AU) |
| Qatar | +375 (US) 7/2 (UK) 3.77 (CAN) 4.50 (AU) |
| Team | To win World Cup |
| Netherlands | +1400 (US) 14/1 (UK) 9.39 (CAN) 13.00 (AU) |
| Senegal | +8000 (US) 100/1 (UK) 75.10 (CAN) 81 (AU) |
| Ecuador | +15000 (US) 150/1 (UK) 92.00 (CAN) 126 (AU) |
| Qatar | +25000 (US) 500/1 (UK) 156 (CAN) 251 (AU) |
Do third-place teams advance at World Cup 2022?
Only the top two teams advance to the Round of 16.
Back in the day World Cup tournaments had the best third-place teams move on to make up the numbers in the Round of 16. That's no longer the case with the 2022 format.
The teams that finish in third- and fourth-place in the group stage are eliminated.
