When Is The World Cup Final? 2022 Game Time, Date For Soccer Tournament Championship

The 2022 World Cup field is getting smaller by the day as the group stage comes to an end on Friday.

On Thursday, Morrocco won Group F and Croatia advanced, as well. Of the 16 countries that can advance to the knockout stage, 12 have already booked their place, as of noon ET.

When is the World Cup final? The last two teams standing will meet on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar. The match has a scheduled start time of 10 a.m ET.

It takes three wins in the knockout stage to reach the final. The Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals are all elimination matches. There are no more draws after the group stage.

Since the inaugural World Cup in 1930, only eight countries have won the tournament. Brazil holds the record with five titles. Germany and Italy have both won the World Cup four times. Germany has made a record eight appearances in the World Cup final.

France won its second championship in the last World Cup, defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final. No team has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil successfully defended its title in 1962.

The World Cup final in both 2010 and 2014 was decided in extra time. In 2006, Italy needed penalty kicks to outlast France for the title.

Brazil entered this year's World Cup as the favorite to win the tournament.

The U.S. has never played in the World Cup final. The USMNT reached the semifinals in 1930. The only other time that the U.S. advanced beyond the Round of 16 was in 2002 with a trip to the quarterfinals.

The World Cup quarterfinals start Dec. 9, six days after the first Round of 16 match. The semifinals are scheduled for Dec. 13 and 14. The two losers in the semifinal matches will compete for third-place in a Dec. 17 match.