The United States men's national team has secured a spot in the next round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Iran on Tuesday morning in Qatar.
England's final match against Wales also was played at 11 a.m. PT on Tuesday to ensure none of the countries in Group B can tactically rest players because they know the results ahead of time.
Through the third and final match for each team, here is how the Group B standings shook out.
- England: 7 points (2 wins and 1 draw)
- United States: 5 points (2 draws and 1 win)
- Iran: 3 points (2 losses and 1 win)
- Wales: 1 point (2 losses and 1 draw)
As a reminder, countries earn three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss in the World Cup. The top two teams in points in each World Cup group advance to the knockout stages of the tournament, which will feature 16 countries in a single-elimination format. (Good news for people that don't like 0-0 draws: No ties are allowed after this point.)
I missed the first two World Cup matches. How did the USA do?
Team USA drew 1-1 against Wales on Nov. 21 in its first World Cup game. USA's Timothy Weah scored the opening goal in the 36th minute and Wales' Gareth Bale drilled a penalty kick in the 82nd minute to tie the match.
The highly anticipated matchup against England ended in a 0-0 draw on Nov. 25. The United States attempted more shots (10) and earned more corner kicks (seven), but England had more shots on target (three) in the stalemate.
If USA advances, who would they face in the next round of the World Cup?
Now that Group A has concluded all of its matches, the United States' next opponent in the World Cup will be the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is eighth in FIFA's world rankings, while the U.S. team stands 16th.
Winning two of three matches in Group A gave the Netherlands the top spot, and it will face the U.S. team on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7:00 a.m. The winner of Saturday's match will advance to the quarterfinals.