How Teams Can Advance to the Next Round of the World Cup

Which 16 teams advance to the knockout round will be decided this week.

ByABC News

June 26, 2014, 1:25 PM

Brazil's Neymar runs with the ball during the group A World Cup soccer match between Brazil and Mexico at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil, June 17, 2014.
Andre Penner/AP Photo

 -- The World Cup's group's stage comes to a conclusion today -- and 16 of the tournament's 32 teams will advance to the round of 16.

So far, Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Colombia, Greece, Argentina, Nigeria, France and Switzerland have all advanced to the next round.

World Cup Group Standings

World Cup Schedule and Results

The top two teams with the most points go through. Goal differential, used as a tie-breaker when teams are even with points, accounts for the number of goals a team has scored minus the ones it has allowed.

Here are the way the scenarios play out in the remaining two groups:

Group G:

All four teams are alive in this group. Any two can clinch a spot to the next round.

Germany (4 points, goal differential +4) -- Advances and wins group with either a victory or draw against the United States.

United States (4 points, goal differential +1) -- Advances and wins the group with a victory against Germany. A draw also qualifies them.

Ghana (1 point, goal differential -1) -- Advances with a win against Portugal and a United States or Germany loss while overcoming goal differential.

Portugal (1 point, goal differential -4) -- Advances with a win and a United States or Germany loss while overcoming goal differential.

Group H:

Belgium is through to the next round, while Algeria, Russia and South Korea all have a chance to also advance.

Belgium (6 points, goal differential +2) -- Already through to the next round. Wins group with a win or draw versus South Korea.

Algeria (3 points. goal differential +1) -- Advances with a victory against Russia.

Russia (1 point, goal differential -1) -- Advances with a win against Algeria and either a Belgium victory versus South Korea or a South Korea win that does not overcome its goal differential.

South Korea (1 point, goal differential -2) -- Advances with a victory against Belgium coupled with a Russia win against Algeria or Russia draw versus Algeria while overcoming its goal differential.