The 2022 FIFA World Cup is entering its final round of group stage fixtures and with that in mind, we take a look at all the permutations regarding knockout qualification for each country. In this article, we focus on Group C which features Poland, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Mexico. It has been a thrilling group to follow thus far, with the standout result coming at Lusail Stadium where Saudi Arabia came from behind to beat tournament favourites Argentina by two goals to one. After two group matches each, all four teams involved can still qualify for the knockout stage as it stands.
With that in mind, are the permutations for Group C in the third and final round of matches.
Poland – Will qualify for the knockout stage if they avoid defeat against Argentina. Will finish top of Group C if they beat Argentina, or draw and Saudi Arabia fail to beat Mexico.
Argentina – Will qualify for the knockout stage if they beat Poland, or draw and Saudi Arabia fail to beat Mexico, provided Mexico don’t win by a margin of at least four goals. Will finish top of Group C if they beat Poland, provided Saudi Arabia do not better their result by a margin of at least two goals.
Saudi Arabia – Will qualify for the knockout stage if they beat Mexico, or draw and Argentina lose against Poland. Will finish top of Group C if they beat Mexico and Poland vs Argentina finishes a draw.
Mexico – Will qualify for the knockout stage if they beat Saudi Arabia and Argentina lose against Poland. Should Poland vs Argentina finish a draw, then Mexico will need to beat Saudi Arabia by a margin of at least four goals. Should Argentina beat Poland, then Mexico will need to beat Saudi Arabia and hope that the two results combined, overturns a four-goal-swing between them and Poland in goal difference.
Wednesday 30th November
Poland vs Argentina (19:00)
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (19:00)