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Who will the USA play in Round of 16 knockout stage?

The USMNT squad has advanced to the knockout stage as the second-place finisher in Group B. We break down what’s next for them in the Round of 16.

Christian Pulisic (C) of USA scores his team’s first goal past Majid Hosseini (L) and Amir Abedzadeh of Iran during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between IR Iran and USA at Al Thumama Stadium on November 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images

The United States Men’s National Team is back in the knockout round. The USA beat Iran 1-0 on Tuesday to advance to the Round of 16. England beat Wales to secure first place and the USA claimed second place.

The two squads advance to the Round of 16, which begins on Saturday, December 3. As the second place finisher in Group B, the USA will face the Netherlands, who won Group A. The Round of 16 match will take place Saturday at 10 a.m. ET at Khalifa International Stadium. This is the first time Holland has faced the United States in international competition.

This marks America’s seventh trip to the knockout stage and first time since 2014. The USA did not qualify for the tournament four years ago, and finished in 15th place four years prior. The USA’s best finish was a semi-finals appearance in 1930 and and quarterfinals appearance in 2002.

This is the 11th time the Netherlands has advanced out of the group stage, and in fact, every year they’ve qualified for the World Cup, they’ve earned a spot in the knockout bracket. The Dutch did not qualify for the World Cup four years ago, but in 2014 they finished third after beating Brazil in the third place match.