So the Stars and Stripes are into the knockout stage in Qatar, but what is their route to the final?

Having missed out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the United States national team have already made their presence felt at Qatar 2022, reaching the knockout stage after progressing from Group B

In the modern era, the USMNT’s best World Cup performance came 20 years ago in reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.

What will the USMNT need to do to become world champions for the first time? GOAL takes a look at the USMNT’s potential routes to the final, which takes place in Qatar on December 18.

USMNT World Cup group stage finish

PosTeamPWDLGDPts1England3210+772USA3120+153Iran3102-334Wales3012-51

The USMNT finished in second place in Group B behind England, with five points from three games. They drew 1-1 against Wales in their opening game before playing out a 0-0 draw against England, then securing progress to the knockout stage with a 1-0 victory over Iran.

World Cup 2022 last 16

As runners-up in Group B, the USMNT square off against the winners of Group A: Netherlands.

That game will be played on December 3, 2022 at Khalifa International Stadium. The game is set to kick off at 10am ET (3pm GMT).

Former NBA player Charles Barkley has declared that the USMNT would “open up a can of whoop-a*s” on the Netherlands.

“I guarantee the Netherlands is in trouble,” said Barkley. “I want Spain, I want Brazil, I want Germany, I want France – oh, they got that boy Kylian Mbappe over there in France, he ain’t no joke. But we’re going to beat the Netherlands.”

World Cup 2022 quarter-final

If Gregg Berhalter’s team win the second-round clash against the Netherlands, they will face one of Argentina (meaning a clash with Lionel Messi) or Australia.

The date for that quarter-final match is December 9, 2022, with a 2pm ET (7pm GMT) kick-off time. That fixture is scheduled to be played at Lusail Iconic Stadium.

World Cup 2022 semi-final

Should the USMNT progress from the quarter-final, they could be paired with one of a number of potential teams. The winners of Group E, the runners-up of Group F, the winners of Group G and the runners-up of Group H are all on the U.S. side of the bracket.

As it stands, that means they could end up facing one of Spain, Japan, Costa Rica, Germany (from Group E), Croatia (from Group F), Brazil, Switzerland, Cameroon, Serbia (from Group G), Portugal, Ghana, South Korea or Uruguay (from Group H).

That game will take place on December 13, 2022 at Lusail Iconic Stadium with a 2pm ET (7pm GMT) kick-off.

If the U.S. national team lose in the semi-final, they will play a third-place play-off on December 17 against the losing team from the other semi-final.

World Cup 2022 final

Should the USMNT go all the way to the World Cup final they will play a team from the other side of the bracket. The confirmed teams on the other side of the knockout bracket so far are: England, Senegal, France, Poland, Morocco.

They will be joined by the runners-up from Group E (Spain, Japan, Costa Rica or Germany), the winners from Group H (Portugal, Ghana, South Korea or Uruguay) and the runners-up from Group G (Brazil, Switzerland, Cameroon or Serbia)

The World Cup 2022 final will be played on December 18, 2022. The game kicks off at 10am ET (3pm GMT).

USMNT route to the World Cup 2022 final

Here’s the USMNT’s fixtures on the route to the World Cup 2022 final at a glance.

RoundOpponentDateKick-off timeLast 16NetherlandsDec 310am ET / 3pm ETQuarter-finalArgentina/AustraliaDec 92pm ET / 7pm GMTSemi-finalW Group E/Croatia/W Group G/RU Group HDec 132pm ET / 7pm GMTFinalEngland/Senegal/France/Poland/Morocco/RU Group E/W Group H/RU Group GDec 1810am ET / 3pm GMT

Where to watch USMNT World Cup games on TV & stream online

FOX and Telemundo are broadcasting World Cup 2022 games live on TV in the United States. BBC and ITV have the broadcast rights for the World Cup in the United Kingdom.

You can check GOAL‘s Soccer on U.S. TV listings here and the Football on UK TV listings here.

How far do you think the USMNT will go in the World Cup? Let us know in the comments! ?