The group stage of the 2018 World Cup has come to an end. The biggest surprise was defending champion Germany not only going out but finishing last in their group after a 2-0 loss to South Korea. The curse of the “Defending Champions” patch is real, as Germany became the 4th defending champion in the last 5 World Cups to fail to reach the knockout stage. In addition to Germany, Poland was the “seeded” team in Group H and also finished last while Japan and Russia (two of the lowest-ranked teams entering the tournament) both advanced. The knockout stage will begin on Saturday, June 30 with the Round of 16 Games.
World Cup Round of 16 Preview
