Matchday 2 of the Qatar 2022 group stage is well underway, and soon we’ll start to know what the knockout phase bracket looks like. On Saturday, Poland put some pressure on Argentina and Mexico with a hard-fought win over Saudi Arabia.
Robert Lewandowski and company got the job done, claiming their first victory in this FIFA World Cup as they hope to make it out of the group stage. With this result, things are wide open in Group C.
La Albiceleste and El Tri face off in a must-win game for both later today, aiming to pick up their first triumph in the competition. Let’s take a look at how Poland’s win affects their group rivals.
What Argentina and Mexico need after Poland’s win over Saudi Arabia
Poland are momentarily atop Group C with 4 points (GD +2), followed by Saudi Arabia with 3 (-1GD), while Mexico are 3rd with 1 (0 GD), and Argentina are bottom with 0 points (-1 GD). That leaves the latter two in a tough spot, as they have yet to face each other.
For Mexico, a draw with Argentina would be fine, as long as they beat Saudi Arabia in the group stage finale— which would see them qualify for the round of 16. If they beat La Albiceleste, El Tri would only need a draw against the Asian side to advance.
However, if Gerardo Martino’s men lose, the scenario would be different. While they wouldn’t be eliminated yet, Mexico would need to win on Matchday 3 and hope that Poland win. If the Pole side doesn’t beat Argentina, the tiebreaker criteria would come into play.
As for Argentina, they also control their own destiny even after Poland’s triumph over Saudi Arabia. IfLionel Scaloni’s menbeat Mexico and Poland, they’d secure a place in the knockout phase.
If Argentina draw with Mexico, things would be more complicated. Of course, they’d have to beat Poland, but they’d also need to try and score as much as possible to get the upper hand in the tiebreaker. On the other hand, a defeat to Mexico would leave Argentina out of the World Cup. Using this World Cup Predictor, you can see every potential outcome of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
