World Cup 2018: Tracking Round of 16 Knockout Stage Matchup Bracket

Sweden and Mexico qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup round of 16 on Wednesday, while defending champions Germany were knocked out following a surprise 2-0 defeat to South Korea. 

Two late goals meant South Korea signed off their World Cup account in Russia with a win to finish third in Group F, one place ahead of Germany, while Sweden's 3-0 thumping of Mexico saw them qualify in first place.

Brazil will attempt to do what Germany could not and stop Mexico when they meet in the round of 16, having topped Group E after a 2-0 beating of Serbia. They pipped Switzerland to first in their pool, although Vladimir Petkovic's men could still have the simpler knockout opponent in Sweden.

A meeting between international heavyweights France and Argentina looks to be the round of 16's headline act so far, although Group A winners Uruguay and Group B runners-up Portugal make for a tantalising matchup of their own.

Colombia and Japan were the latest teams to confirm their round of 16 places on Thursday and finished first and second in their pool, respectively, with the Blue Samurai set to take on Group G winners Belgium.

Here's a look at the bracket in full as each team now knows what route they'll need to take if they're to win the World Cup:

We provide a look at the confirmed round of 16 bracket thus far and examine the lineup, as well as who missed the cut in Russia.

Round of 16 Bracket

Saturday, June 30

France vs. Argentina, 5 p.m. local time/3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.)

Uruguay vs. Portugal, 9 p.m. local time/7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.)

Sunday, July 1

Spain vs. Russia, 5 p.m. local time/3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.)

Croatia vs. Denmark, 9 p.m. local time/7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.)

Monday, July 2

Brazil vs. Mexico, 6 p.m. local time/3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ETBBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.)

Belgium vs. Japan, 9 p.m. local time/7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.)

Tuesday, July 3

Sweden vs. Switzerland, 5 p.m. local time/3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.)

Colombia vs. England, 9 p.m. local time/7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.)

Sweden Soar as Veteran Germany Bow Out

Group F unfolded in the most surprising of ways on Wednesday, when Sweden waited until the last for their best display of the group stage to dethrone Mexico, while whipping boys South Korea bested world-beaters at their own game.

Ludwig Augustinsson and Andreas Granqvist scored early in the second half against Mexico and completed their rout through an Edson Alvarez own-goal to stage a late push from third to first in their pool. ESPN FC noted this wasn't the first time they had a hand in felling a giant of the sport:

There will be no place in the round of 16 for Germany or South Korea, despite the latter's late win, when Kim Young-gwon and Son Heung-min punished Die Mannschaft for their missed chances to stun the watching world.

After Sweden excelled to such an extent at the Ekaterinburg Arena, even a 1-0 win would have done Germany to progress, but instead, they were dealt one of their most shocking defeats at the end of a miserable World Cup:

Brazil's 2-0 win over Serbia and Switzerland's simultaneous 2-2 draw against Costa Rica has also affirmed the belief that finishing second in Group G could be the better option for England, as defeatist as that may seem.

BBC presenter Dan Walker outlined the potential path Southgate's men face in Russia, depending on if they take first or second in their pool, and one of Sweden or Switzerland certainly look the easier bait:

The bigger problems emerge later on. In the bottom half of the bracket, where England would finish if they take the runners-up spot, they promise to run into one of Spain or Croatia in the semi-finals.

However, the likes of France, Portugal, Uruguay or Argentina could await them in the semis if they take first and head into the other half of the bracket, making for a difficult call in judgement.

As for those confirmed in the knockout stages, it's hard to quantify who's in the driver's seat due to the sheer amount of shocks in the group stage, one of which being Argentina's ragged road to the second round.

A dramatic 2-1 win over Nigeria on Tuesday saw them finish second in Group D to set up a knockout clash against France, although blogger Rafael Hernandez suggested tactics wouldn't be at an exemplary standard:

With Portugal set to face Uruguay in the other round-of-16 opener, we'll see a battle between star forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez. However, there's another, potentially much bigger battle waiting around the corner, per host Jimmy Conrad:

Croatia will be considered favourites for their upcoming clash with Denmark after beating Argentina to the Group D winners' chair and generally impressing en route to three back-to-back group-stage victories.

One gets the sense that if a team of that stature is going to win a World Cup, 2018 could be the year, although data analyst Ben Mayhew recently hinted they could still play the "stepping stone" role:

Fernando Hierro's Spain side still need to overcome Russia in the round of 16, however, and there are no longer any certainties after La Furia Roja struggled in group meetings with Iran and Morocco.