On Sunday, France will play Poland at the Al-Thumama Stadium in a Round of 16 matchup for the 2022 World Cup. France topped Group D during the Group Stage, while Poland ended up in the second position in Group C.
France, the current World Cup holders, avoided elimination in the Group Stage, thereby ending the unlucky run of the 'curse of the champions' form. All four of Europe's previous World Cup champions were eliminated in the early phase of the tournament, so the French players would have been relieved to finally break the streak.
Exactly four decades have passed since Les Blues last lost to the Eagles when they were eliminated in the round of 16. Since then, Les Bleus have won seven straight matches against the Group C runners-up, most recently by a score of 1-0 in a friendly in 2011. However, despite the oddsmakers favoring France, this edition of the World Cup has shown us that anything is possible.
What would happen if France lose to Poland in the Qatar 2022 Round of 16?
Quite simply, if the French national soccer team suffer a defeat, they would be knocked out of the tournament in the last 16. For the World Cup, the Knockout Round consists of one-game playoffs.
Therefore, there is no opportunity to win the series by taking game two. There is no room for a mistake in this win-or-go-home approach. For Didier Deschamps' squad to advance to the Quarter-Finals, they must win in regular time, after extra time, or after successfully taking a penalty series.
