World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D: Teams, Standings, And Matches

World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D: Teams, Standings, and matches for France, Australia, Denmark, and Tunisia in Qatar

France and Australia have reached the knockout phase of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Group D of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 22 to 30 November 2022. The group consisted of reigning world champions France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia. The top two teams, France and Australia advanced to the round of 16. Australia, Denmark, and France were also in Group C of the previous World Cup.

Summary

World Cup Group D came to a conclusion on Wednesday and a tense battle ensued to see who would join defending champions France in the round of 16.

Having won their first two matches against Australia (4-1) and Denmark (2-1), the French were already assured of a place in the knockout rounds going into matchday three and rested a host of players for their final group game against Tunisia.

Australia, having defeated the Tunisians on matchday two, were in pole position going into Wednesday’s matches and remained there after goalless first halves in both games. Would there be any twists in the second period?

Tunisia, who had had a goal disallowed in the first half in their clash against the French, knew they needed a victory to have any chance of qualifying. And Wahbi Khazri’s goal just before the hour mark set them on their way to a famous win against the World Cup holders, who had an Antoine Griezmann stoppage-time goal disallowed by VAR:

Would they get the result they wanted in Australia vs Denmark? Mathew Leckie’s goal came a mere minutes after Khazri’s and almost immediately burst the Tunisian bubble. A victory for Australia meant that there was nothing Tunisia – or the Danes – could do and sent Graham Arnold’s side through to the round of 16 for the first time since 2006 despite some late Denmark pressure.

Who has qualified for the round of 16 from World Cup Group D?

• France go through as Group D winners and are top seeds in the round of 16
• Australia go through as Group D runners-up but are unseeded in the round of 16
• Tunisia and Denmark ultimately finished third and fourth and are eliminated

Who will France and Australia play in the round of 16?

Group D winners France will face the runners-up from Group C – Poland at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on Sunday, 4 December 2022 (kick-off at 6 pm Local Time).

Group D runners-up Australia will play the winners from Group C – Argentina at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan on Saturday, 3 December 2022 (kick-off at 10 pm Local Time).

Standings

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

In the round of 16:

• The winners of Group D, France, advanced to play the runners-up of Group C, Poland.
• The runners-up of Group D, Australia, advanced to play the winners of Group C, Argentina.

Matches

Denmark 0-0 Tunisia

The two teams had faced each other twice, most recently in 2002, a 2–1 win for Denmark in a friendly game. Denmark were not able to capitalize in their opening game; although Tunisia failed to score a single goal themselves, they still managed to secure their match without problems, with Aïssa Laïdouni earning the Man of the Match award.

France 4-1 Australia

The two teams had faced each other five times, including once in the World Cup, in France’s 2–1 victory in 2018 en route to the title. They also met in Australia’s 1–0 win against the reigning world champions (having previously won the 1998 FIFA World Cup) at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup.

In the ninth minute Craig Goodwin gave Australia the lead when he finished at the back post high into the net after a low cross from the right by Mathew Leckie. Adrien Rabiot made it 1–1 when he headed to the net from a Theo Hernandez cross from the left. France took the lead five minutes later when Olivier Giroud side-footed to the net after a low cross from Rabiot from the left. In the 68th minute Kylian Mbappé scored with a header from six yards out to the left corner after a cross from Ousmane Dembélé on the right. Giroud got his second with another header after a Mbappé cross from the left to make it 4–1. Giroud second goal equaled Thierry Henry’s all-time scoring record of 51 goals for France. France’s win marked the first time since 2006 that the defending champion won their opening game. On the other hand, Craig Goodwin goal was the fastest conceded goal for France since the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

French defender Lucas Hernandez suffered a torn ACL after 13 minutes of the match.

Tunisia 0-1 Australia

The two teams had faced each other twice, most recently in Tunisia’s 2–0 win at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Australia beat Tunisia 1–0 as a result of a Mitchell Duke header in the 23rd minute to secure their first win in a World Cup match since they defeated Serbia 2–1 in 2010. This was also Australia’s first clean sheet since they drew 0–0 with Chile in 1974.

France 2-1 Denmark

The teams had met thrice in the World Cup, all in the group stage with three different results; France won 2–1 in 1998, Denmark won 2–0 in 2002 and the teams drew 0–0 in 2018.

France won 2–1 and qualified for the knockout stage, thus becoming the first defending champions since Brazil at the 2006 FIFA World Cup to advance beyond the group stage.

Australia 1-0 Denmark

The teams had met once in the World Cup, a 1–1 draw in 2018.

Australia won the game 1–0 to finish second in the group. The only goal of the game was scored by Mathew Leckie in the 60th minute with a low left-foot finish to the bottom right corner of the net. This result meant that Australia progressed to the knockout stage for the second time at the World Cup and the first time since 2006. This was also the first time that Australia had won two matches in a World Cup and scored in every group-stage game.

Tunisia 1-0 France

The two teams had faced each other four times, most recently in a 2010 friendly, a 1–1 draw. Wahbi Khazri put Tunisia into the lead in the 58th minute with a low shot to the bottom right corner. At that stage Tunisia were in position to qualify from the group. Two minutes later Australia went in front against Denmark in the other match-talking place at the same time which put Tunisia outside of the qualifying positions. In added time, Antoine Griezmann scored to make it 1–1 with a volley but the goal was ruled out by VAR for offside. Australia went on to beat Denmark which meant that Tunisia finished third in the group and failed to get into the knock-out stages.

WORLD CUP GROUPS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H

World Cup Group D table & fixtures

Q = Qualified to Round of 16

E = Eliminated

Group D match schedule

The four teams selected into the group are playing a round-robin format with each nation facing the other three. Group standings are based on points from those three group-stage matches — three points for a win, one for a draw, none for a loss.

The top two teams from each group based on total points advance to the single-game knockouts. If teams are tied on points, goal difference is the first tiebreaker followed by goals scored. If teams are also tied in those categories another set of tiebreakers is applied.

World Cup Group D teams

France

The winners of the last World Cup in 2018, France will be determined to retain the crown, although they will have to fare considerably better than they did at Euro 2021, when they were knocked out at the Round of 16 stage by Switzerland.

If superstar Kylian Mbappe is at his best, then it could make all the difference for Les Bleus, and there is plenty of other international experience also in Didier Deschamps’ talented squad despite a rash of injuries heading into the tournament.

France won the 2020/2021 UEFA Nations League by beating Spain in the final, and if they can perform as a cohesive unit then they will certainly be among the leading contenders for glory in Qatar.

• Current FIFA world ranking: 4 (November 2022)
• Regional ranking: 2nd (UEFA)
• World Cup titles: 2
• World Cup appearances (last): 15 (Russia 2018)
• How qualified: UEFA Group D winners: 5W-0L-3D
• Coach:Didier Deschamps (France) since July, 2012
• Key players: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain / France), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham / England)

Australia

The Socceroos won a single-elimination FIFA intercontinental playoff to earn the final place in Group D, beating Peru in a penalty shootout on June 13. Six days prior, Australia had to overcome the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in a separate Asian qualifying playoff just to earn the right to meet Peru for a spot in the World Cup.

Australia salvaged a qualifying campaign that started promisingly (11 straight wins), but which tailed off with defeats to Japan and Saudi Arabia that dashed their hopes at automatic qualification and forced them down the playoff road.

The Socceroos have been regulars at the World Cup since the turn of the century, advancing to the competition proper on five consecutive occasions.

• Current FIFA world ranking: 38 (November 2022)
• Regional ranking: 4th (AFC)
• World Cup appearances (last): 5 (Russia 2018)
• Coach: Graham Arnold (Australia) since July 2018
• Key players: Mat Ryan (Copenhagen / Denmark), Aaron Mooy (Celtic / Scotland)

Denmark

Denmark could be the focus of one of the most poignant and emotionally resonant stories at this World Cup as they aim to build upon an impressive showing at Euro 2021.

That tournament began in horrific circumstances, as talisman Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during their opening defeat to Finland in Copenhagen. The playmaker thankfully pulled through and his teammates rallied thrillingly in his absence, powering through to the semifinals, where they fell just short against England in extratime.

Incredibly, Eriksen returned to playing with Brentford in the Premier League and joined Manchester United this summer, having had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted last year. He is now back in the national team and could shine on the biggest stage once again as part of Kasper Hjulmand’s vibrant side, against all the odds.

• Current FIFA world ranking: 10 (November 2022)
• Regional ranking: 8th (UEFA)
• World Cup titles:—
• World Cup appearances (last): 6 (Russia 2018)
• How qualified: UEFA Group F winners: 9W-1L-0D
• Coach:Kasper Hjulmand (Denmark) since August, 2020
• Key players: Christian Eriksen (Manchester United / England), Joakim Maehle (Atalanta / Italy), Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford / England)

Tunisia

Tunisia made it to back-to-back World Cups thanks to a final qualifying-round win against Mali, booking what will be a sixth appearance at the finals of the tournament. The North Africans will look to progress to the knockout stages for the first time.

Most of the squad is based around Europe, with Montpellier forward Wahbi Khazri their chief creator, while Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri, on loan at Birmingham, is one of the names to look out for who could be set for a breakthrough tournament.

The Eagles of Carthage are embarking on a new era in time for World Cup 2022, with coach Jalel Kadri in charge. Formerly an assistant, Kadri was handed the top job by the Tunisia Football Federation in January — replacing Mondher Bebaier, who paid the price for a below-expectation performance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

• Current FIFA world ranking: 30 (November 2022)
• Regional ranking: 3rd (CAF)
• World Cup titles:—
• World Cup appearances (last): 5 (Russia 2018)
• How qualified: CAF Third Round winners (agg 1-0 vs. Mali)
• Coach: Jalel Kadri (Tunisia) since January 2022
• Key players: Wahbi Khazri (Montpellier / France), Hannibal Mejbri (Birmingham City / England), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly / Egypt)

World Cup Group D odds and predictions

Here are the odds for each team to win and qualify from the group, with odds provided by Sports Interaction (correct as of November, 2022).

Minus odds is what must be wagered to win $100 on that specific bet, while plus odds represent the winnings from a successful $100 wager.

The first-place and second-place finishers in Group D will move on to the Round of 16 and will face off against the two teams to advance from Group C on Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4.

The official FIFA 2022 World Cup match schedule outlines the following knockout pairings for the Round of 16 through to the final:

World Cup Round of 16

World Cup Quarterfinals

World Cup Semifinals

World Cup 3rd Place

World Cup Final