In the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, Colombia will play Switzerland with no room for error.
In the group stage, teams can bounce back from a bad performance, but in the knockout stage, it's a simple matter of one team moving on and the other leaving. If the game is tied after 90 minutes, extra time and a penalty shootout will decide who advances to the quarterfinals.
Here's what every possible result means.
What Happens If Colombia Wins Against Switzerland?
Colombia will advance to the World Cup quarterfinals if they beat Switzerland in regulation, extra time, or on penalties.
Columbia will be one of the few South American teams left in the tournament in the quarterfinal stage. If Colombia makes it to the quarterfinals, they will play the winner of the other Round of 16 matchup between Argentina and Egypt.
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Having already topped the group stage featuring Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, and having secured a victory against Ghana in the Round of 32, Colombia will be high on confidence.
What Happens If Colombia Draws Against Switzerland?
If there is a draw after 90 minutes, neither team is eliminated.
Colombia and Switzerland will enter into extratime to secure victory. The game can go to a penalty shootout if neither team fails to win.
This means that Colombia can still qualify if they are tied after 90 minutes, as long as they win in extra time or score from the penalty spot.
What Happens If Colombia Loses Against Switzerland?
If Colombia loses at any stage—during regulation, extra time, or the shootout—its World Cup campaign will immediately come to an end.
No points, replays, or second chances in the knockout stage.
The same rules apply to Switzerland. Any victory qualifies, and a loss eliminates.
Both sides will be playing with a sense of caution in the early stages of the game, with a view to taking control of the match in the quarter-finals. As has been the case in many knockout games in the World Cup, extra time and penalties could be the deciding factor if neither side can make a breakthrough in over 90 minutes.
