Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez looks at the ball into the net after Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari scored his side's second goal during the World Cup group C soccer match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on Nov 22, 2022. (RICARDO MAZALAN / AP)

The 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup is in full swing in Qatar. Here is what you need to know about the groups and the knockout stages of the tournament before the Dec 18 final.

When is the World Cup final? 

The World Cup final will be held on Sunday, Dec 18 which is Qatar National Day. The match will kick off at 1500 GMT (6 pm local time).

Which stadium is hosting the final? 

The 80,000 capacity Lusail Iconic Stadium, which is 15 km north of central Doha and the largest venue for the tournament, will host the World Cup title clash.

This AFP graphic dated Dec 6, 2022 shows the schedule of the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar, starting from the quarter-finals.

Who are the favorites? 

Bookmakers William Hill, Bet365 and Ladbrokes have listed five-times champions Brazil as the favorites ahead of France and England.

Who will meet in the quarterfinals? 

Croatia v Brazil

Netherlands v Argentina

Morocco v Portugal

England v France

This AFP graphic dated Dec 7, 2022 shows the preview of the match between Netherlands and Argentina in the quarterfinals of the football World Cup in Qatar.

This AFP graphic dated Dec 7, 2022 shows the preview of the quarterfinals match between Croatia and Brazil at the football World Cup in Qatar.

Who made it out of the group stage? 

GROUP A: Qatar (hosts), Ecuador, Senegal*, Netherlands*.

GROUP B: England*, Iran, United States*, Wales.

GROUP C: Argentina*, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland*.

GROUP D: France*, Australia*, Denmark, Tunisia.

GROUP E: Spain*, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan*.

GROUP F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco*, Croatia*.

GROUP G: Brazil*, Serbia, Switzerland*, Cameroon.

GROUP H: Portugal*, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea*.

* Teams that qualified for the last 16.

This AFP graphic dated Dec 8, 2022 shows the preview of the match between Morocco and Portugal in the quarterfinals of the football World Cup in Qatar.

This AFP graphic dated Dec 8, 2022 shows the preview of the match between England and France in the quarterfinals of the football World Cup in Qatar.

The group stage was a round-robin format with each of the 32 teams playing three matches. Teams were awarded three points for a win and one for a draw. The top two teams in each group went through to the last 16.

The first knockout round kicked off on Dec 3. It will be followed by the quarter-finals from Dec 9 and the semi-finals from Dec 13.

The knockout rounds will feature one-off matches, which can go to extra time and then penalties to decide the winner.

The third-place playoff between the losing semi-finalists will take place on Dec 17 at the Khalifa International Stadium.