By Aldwyn McGill

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is into the final round of group games here in Qatar and at the end of the second round there were just three teams which had posted wins in their first two games for the maximum six points and automatic qualification into the Round of 16 knockout phase.

Ironically, it was France as the reigning champions which became the first team to advance by virtue of Kylian Mbappe’s double in a 2-1 win over Denmark. Brazil (Group G) and Portugal (Group H) were the other teams which advanced by defeating Switzerland 1-0 and Uruguay 2-0 respectively in their second group games.

Canada, however, was eliminated after a devastating 4-1 loss against Croatia in their second game. It was a game where Alfonso Davies scored in the first 67 seconds of the game with a powerful header to the last post. The Canada goal was the fastest of the tournament but unfortunately for Canada the goal had a different effect on the two teams.

Croatia woke up and played with more urgency while the inexperienced Canadian team seemed not to know what to make of their early fortunes and could not come up with answers for the questions Croatia was asking offensively.

It was both an historic accomplishment and reality check for Canada’s coach John Herdman. In defeat, his team took a rare lead and registered Canada’s first goal at a world cup. But as it stands now, Herdman has to get his team mentally prepared for Morocco in their last match in order to achieve Canada’s first world cup win in their last match of the tournament.

As world cup Qatar action continues with four games in one day there are other teams which have qualified for the knockout phase. Netherlands and Senegal have advanced as the one-two punch out of Group A, while USA joined group leader England out of Group B. With the final whistle moments ago, Australia has joined France as the second place team out of Group D.

World Cup prize money 2022: How the prize money is shared

There will be plenty of money on the line at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

While the focus for most teams will be on lifting the iconic trophy and representing their nations well, there is definitely a tangible benefit for success on the pitch.

The prize money can be especially beneficial for smaller nations to help improve their infrastructure and development pathways back home.

FIFA confirmed in April 2022 that the Qatar World Cup champions will receive a record $42 million in prize money.

This is an increase of $4m compared to 2018 and continues a trend that has seen the winners’ pay packets increase massively over the past 40 years.

With so much prize money on offer, every side will walk away from Qatar significantly richer.

Simply qualifying for the 2022 World Cup sees each team paid a $1.5 million participation fee. But once at the tournament, sides can make much larger sums by progressing through the knockout stages.

Based on the prize money breakdown revealed by FIFA, reaching the semifinals in Qatar will see teams earn more than the 2006 World Cup winners received.

Here a breakdown of the $440 million prize money on offer in Qatar:

Group stage – $9m; Round of 16 – $13m; Quarterfinals – $17m; Fourth place  -$25m; Third place – $27m; Runner-up – $30m, Winner –   $42m