Pretty positive some cats involved with EA Sports are behind this — note the EA logo at midfield and on the jerseys — but it’s still pretty cool.
It’s a real-life recreation of the FIFA series and some of the smallest details were almost-perfectly recreated by the creators (note the Starting XI’s ‘shaking out’ before what would be the anthems).
Brazil suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon on the final day of group play at the 2022 World Cup on Friday, but finished top of Group G nonetheless.
For Brazil, the math was incredibly simple heading into matchday 3: A draw would win the group and see the five-time world champions go into what is though to be the weaker of the two halves of the knockout bracket.
Instead of facing Portugal in the round of 16, Brazil will face South Korea. Instead of a potential quarterfinal clash with Spain, it’ll be Croatia or Japan. Things do, however, get quite juicy in the semifinals, when bitter rivals Argentina could be waiting.
Vincent Aboubakar scored the goal during second-half stoppage time, only to be sent off for taking his shirt off in celebration and earning his second yellow card.
Cameroon snaps Brazil's 17-game unbeaten streak! 😮
🎥 : @TelemundoSportspic.twitter.com/tfdTZWOjWx
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 2, 2022
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Tite said earlier this week that he hopes to have superstar Neymar back and mostly recovered from the ankle injury he suffered 11 days earlier, when Brazil face South Korea.
[ MORE: Latest Group G standings, schedule, scores ]
Kick off: 2pm ET, Friday Dec. 2
Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Cameroon defender Jean-Charles Castelletto has joined forwards Vincent Aboubakar and underappreciated Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in becoming one of the stories of Group G.
Brazil still needs to find its answer if Neymar cannot return to the fold this tournament. Richarlison and Raphinha have impressed but still need to show they can really carry the attack without Neymar. Could Gabriel Jesus shine in his absence?
Current FIFA world ranking: 43
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 8
How they qualified: Qualified from CAF playoffs
Coach: Rigobert Song
Key players: Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Vincent Aboubakar, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
COUPE DU MONDE FIFA QATAR 2022
⚽️🔥 #MATCHDAY#CAMEROUN 🇨🇲 🆚 🇧🇷 #BRESIL
📅 02/12/2022
⏰ 20H00
🏟 Lusail Stadium, Lusail (Qatar)#CMRBRE | #FIFAWC2022 | #QATAR2022 | #ECRIVONSLHISTOIRE | #ALLEZLESLIONS | #LETSROARTOGETHER | #INDOMPTABLES pic.twitter.com/Tbqhw7J7Qr— Les Lions Indomptables Officiel (@LIndomptables) December 2, 2022
Current FIFA world ranking: 1
World Cup titles: 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
World Cup appearances: 22
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONMEBOL (1st place)
Coach: Tite
Key players: Neymar, Thiago Silva, Casemiro, Alisson Becker
Equipe definida! 💪🤩
Os 11 jogadores que iniciarão a partida entre 🇧🇷 e 🇨🇲 foram definidos pelo técnico Tite e sua comissão.
Classificada para as oitavas de final, a Seleção Brasileira busca garantir o primeiro lugar do Grupo G.
Vamos juntos por mais uma vitória! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/xmPGnAFqu8
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) December 2, 2022
Switzerland secured the victory they needed to reach the knockout rounds of the 2022 World Cup on Friday, as they beat Serbia 3-2 in a thrilling, back-and-forth affair.
The Swiss (6 points, +1 GD) finish 2nd in Group G, joining winners Brazil (6 points, +2 GD) in the round of 16 next week. Serbia (1) go home bottom of the group, having taken their only point off 3rd-place Cameroon (4).
Xherdan Shaqiri opened the scoring in the 20th minute, when he found just enough space (and a helpful deflection) after Serbia failed to clear the ball out of their penalty area. Shaqiri lurked at the back post and quickly cut inside onto his left foot when the ball fell to him, securing a brilliant piece of footballing trivia in the process.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo & Xherdan Shaqiri have scored in all of the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups and Euro 2016 and 2020.
— Richard Jolly 🇺🇦 (@RichJolly) December 2, 2022
The lead lasted only six minutes, though, and it was Aleksandar Mitrovic who pulled Serbia level with a fantastic header after making the long run across the face of goal to the near post. The equalizer breathed new life into Serbia, who went ahead on 35 minutes as Dusan Vlahovic neatly tucked a slow roller inside the far post.
Again, the lead was short-lived, as Breel Embolo got on the end of Silvan Widmer’s cross in the 44th minute to make it 2-2 and push Switzerland back into 2nd place when halftime arrived.
It took no time at all for the second half to roar life, as the Swiss took not only the lead in the game, but a commanding hold on the last-16 place. Ruben Vargas cushioned an incredible first-time backheel for Remo Freuler to run onto and hammer home with his left foot, and perhaps capture the nonexistent award for Best Team Goal and/or Best Assist at this World Cup.
That assist by Ruben Vargas! 😍
Switzerland lead once again! #FIFAWorldCup
🎥: @TelemundoSports pic.twitter.com/Ze4sbfIfOs— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 2, 2022
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Up next for Switzerland will be a difficult test against Group H winners Portugal, who have the look of real contenders but were beaten by South Korea in stoppage time earlier on Friday.
[ MORE: Latest Group G standings, schedule, scores ]
Kick off: 2pm ET, Friday Dec. 2
Stadium: Stadium 974, Doha
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Three different goal scorers hit the sheet in the draw with Cameroon, and Fulham star Aleksandar Mitrovic remains a threat to score every game. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic continues to show huge value in the center of the pitch.
Breel Embolo has Switzerland’s only goal and will be continue to be a focal point, while Man City defender Manuel Akanji, Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, and Nottingham Forest’s Remo Freuler make the Swiss a tough team to break down.
Current FIFA world ranking: 21
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 12
How they qualified: Qualified from UEFA via playoffs
Coach: Dragan Stojkovic
Key players: Aleksandar Mitrovic, Luka Jovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Dusan Tadic
Current FIFA world ranking: 15
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 12
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Murat Yakin
Key players: Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri, Yann Sommer, Remo Freuler
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, we’ve already seen games majorly impacted by yellow cards and red cards – most notably the Wales group stage meeting with Iran where goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey came off the line and took out Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi. Hennessey was sent off with a red card and Wales, down to ten men, saw Iran score two stunning stoppage time goals for the unexpected win. It was the first red card of the tournament and one that unquestionably changed the course of the game.
RELATED: World Cup 2022 schedule – how to watch, groups, calendar, match schedule, brackets, dates
Less impactfully but still of note, four U.S. players received yellow cards in the Americans’ opening match against Wales – (Kellyn Acosta, Tim Ream, Weston McKennie, Sergiño Dest). While yellow cards are a omnipresent part of soccer, players run the risk of acquiring two cautions and being unavailable when their team needs them most. Here’s the breakdown on how yellow cards turn into player suspensions and what happens to cards in between rounds of the tournament.
If players receive two yellow cards at the 2022 World Cup, it will result in a one-game suspension. If the player receives both cautions in the same game, they will be sent off and serve the suspension in the subsequent match. But players can also receive a suspension after accumulating two yellow cards across separate matches. So once a player has a yellow card to their name, they’ll likely be thinking carefully about how they approach situations to ensure they’re not out of commission at a key moment in the tournament.
RELATED: What are the group stage tiebreaker rules at the 2022 World Cup?
At the 2022 World Cup, yellow cards do carry over from the group stage into the Round of 16. If a player receives one yellow card in the group stage and another in the Round of 16, they are ineligible for their team’s quarterfinal matchup. However, there is a “clean slate” from the quarterfinals into the semifinals where all previous cautions are wiped, so no players in the semifinals will be at risk of missing the final matches due to accumulated yellow cards from earlier in the tournament.
Per FIFA, if a suspension can’t be served during the World Cup, it will be carried over to the team’s next official national match.
RELATED: World Cup 2022 odds: Favorites, underdogs, group stage winners
Yellow cards are essentially cautions (also called “bookings”) given to players by match officials for a variety of infractions – these can include poor sportsmanship, delay of game, intentional injury to another player, not maintaining mandated distance from the ball on penalty kicks, impermissible language or other situations as determined by the referee on the pitch and the Video Assistant Referee. If a player receives multiple yellow cards, either in the same game or across multiple games, they receive an “indirect red,” which results in a one-match suspension.
Yellow cards can be a big problem for a team when it comes to missing key players, but they can also impact a squad’s chance of making it through the tournament. The final tiebreaker to determine which teams advance out of the group stages is the team conduct score, or “fair play” tiebreaker based on the number of yellow and red cards a team has accumulated. In a situation where teams are equal on all other tiebreakers, the side with the higher team conduct score will advance to the round of 16.
RELATED: Ranking the 2022 World Cup kits
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
The World Cup 2022 schedule is locked in and this tournament in Qatar has been sensational as action throughout November and December will capture the imagination of the world.
[ LIVE: Watch World Cup en Espanol en Peacock ]
Saudi Arabia, Japan and Morocco have already pulled off huge upset wins over Argentina, Germany and Belgium respectively as the tournament has delivered plenty of shocks with Germany, Denmark and Belgium all crashing out in the group stage.
From the USMNT and England getting out of their group to Lionel Messi dragging Argentina through and Mexico just missing out on getting out of the group stages, Australia making it to the last 16 amid upsets galore, there are plenty of intriguing games in the group stage.
[ MORE: World Cup rosters for all 32 teams ]
Then we have the small matter of the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final to look forward to. Bring. It. On.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
Below is the schedule in full, details on how to watch the games and everything else you need..
[ MORE: World Cup odds ]
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
Recap/highlights: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Senegal 0-2 Netherlands – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Qatar 1-3 Senegal – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Netherlands 2-0 Qatar – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Ecuador 1-2 Senegal – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: England 6-2 Iran – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: USA 1-1 Wales – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: England 0-0 USA – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Wales 0-2 Iran – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Wales 0-3 England – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Iran 0-1 USA – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Mexico 0-0 Poland – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Argentina 2-0 Mexico – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Poland 2-0 Saudi Arabia – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Poland 0-2 Argentina – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Saudi Arabia 1-2 Mexico – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: France 4-1 Australia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Denmark 0-0 Tunisia – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: France 2-1 Denmark – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Tunisia 0-1 Australia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Tunisia 1-0 France – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Australia 1-0 Denmark– Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Spain 7-0 Costa Rica – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Germany 1-2 Japan – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Spain 1-1 Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Japan 0-1 Costa Rica – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Japan 2-1 Spain– Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Costa Rica 2-4 Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Belgium 1-0 Canada – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Morocco 0-0 Croatia – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 5am
Recap/highlights: Belgium 0-2 Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Croatia 4-1 Canada – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Croatia 0-0 Belgium – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights Canada 1-2 Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Brazil 2-0 Serbia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Brazil 1-0 Switzerland – Stadium 974, Doha – 11am
Recap/highlights: Cameroon 3-3 Serbia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Friday, December 2: Cameroon vs Brazil (preview) – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
Friday, December 2: Serbia vs Switzerland (preview) – Stadium 974, Doha – 2pm
Recap/highlights: Portugal 3-2 Ghana – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Uruguay 0-0 South Korea – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Portugal 2-0 Uruguay – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: South Korea 2-3 Ghana – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: South Korea 2-1 Portugal – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Ghana 0-2 Uruguay – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Match 49 – Saturday, December 3: Netherlands vs USA (preview) – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
Match 50 – Saturday, December 3: Argentina vs Australia – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
Match 52 – Sunday, December 4: France vs Poland – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha – 10am
Match 51 – Sunday, December 4: England vs Senegal – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Match 53 – Monday, December 5: Japan vs Croatia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah – 10am
Match 54 – Monday, December 5: Winners Group G vs South Korea – Stadium 974, Doha – 2pm
Match 55 – Tuesday, December 6: Morocco vs Spain – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
Match 56 – Tuesday, December 6: Portugal vs Runners up Group G – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
Match 58 – Friday, December 9: Winners Match 53 vs Winners Match 54 – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
Match 57 – Friday, December 9: Winners Match 49 vs Winners Match 50 – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 10am
Match 60 – Saturday, December 10: Winners Match 55 vs Winners Match 56 – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha – 10am
Match 59 – Saturday, December 10: Winners Match 51 vs Winners Match 52 – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Match 61 – Tuesday, December 13: Winners Match 57 vs Winners Match 58 – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
Match 62 – Wednesday, December 14: Winners Match 59 vs Winners Match 60 – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Match 63 – Saturday, December 17: Losers Match 61 vs Losers Match 62 – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
Match 64 – Sunday, December 18: Winners Match 61 vs Winners Match 62 – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 10am
