What the U.S. needs to do to beat Sweden — plus, the knockout bracket no one could have predicted

**Brendan Hunt** (0:03)
This podcast is presented by State Farm, a proud supporter of women's soccer and all women's sports. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

**Rebecca Lowe** (0:09)
I think we should review the fact that you're really good at predictions.
Like, mine are just falling like blooming flies. Republic of Ireland's art courses, out. Germany, rubbish. USA, sort it out.
Geez, you're like Nigeria, they're through to the group stage. What else can I say? Oh, Japan, they're going to win. Yeah, they're probably well, probably well win now.

**Brendan Hunt** (0:35)
I also predicted Argentina to win the previous World Cup.

**Rebecca Lowe** (0:40)
From Apple News, I'm Rebecca Lowe.

**Brendan Hunt** (0:42)
And I'm Brendan Hunt.

**Rebecca Lowe** (0:43)
And this is After the Whistle.

**Brendan Hunt** (0:45)
On today's episode, the group stage is over. The knockout round is set and things are a little topsy turvy. We recap it all from A to H.

**Rebecca Lowe** (0:52)
Plus, our updated predictions for the rest of the tournament. Brendan is rather good at those.

**Brendan Hunt** (0:58)
Nah, it just depends on the competition. That's the bar that they set. Reminder, there will be adult language.
Rebecca, we are at that wonderful point where the tournament gets real.
The group stage is behind us. The pretenders have evaporated into dust. And now, now is the time of champions. The knockout rounds are about to begin.

**Rebecca Lowe** (1:26)
And it's a loopy tournament. It's gone totally loopy, Brendan, hasn't it? It's madness. So we've had a crazy 24 hours, 36 hours, nobody knows, because you've been flying, I've been sleeping, there's been a whole lot of other things going on. But the most important thing that we can now say, because we are, as always, quite literally, recording after the whistle, is who's in the knockout stages. Shall we reel it off?

**Brendan Hunt** (1:52)
All right, so day one, day one of the Knockout Rounds will bring us Switzerland versus Spain, Japan versus Norway. Switzerland and Japan being the group winners there. Japan, a surprise group winner, after their four nothing win over Spain on the final match day.
Day two of the Knockout Rounds, Netherlands versus South Africa.

**Rebecca Lowe** (2:18)
Who, literally who saw that coming?

**Brendan Hunt** (2:24)
One of three African teams we've got here in the final 16
And did anyone predict a Boer War reunion? No, but here it is in football terms. And then as you may have heard, the United States finished second in their group, so they'll be playing Sweden, Sweden. Day three begins with England versus Nigeria. Who could have predicted it? Who could have predicted Nigeria coming this far?
And then the big match later that night, the last remaining home team, Australia versus the really under discussed Denmark. Underdiscussed in this pod, or they've been discussed the exact right amount. But like we've hardly talked about them outside of making sure everyone knows how to pronounce pernilla.

**Rebecca Lowe** (3:06)
True, I mean, they've massively gone under the radar. Yeah, that might end up being an error, by the way, in our part, but I also think it might not be.
Carry on.

**Brendan Hunt** (3:13)
And the final day of Knockout Rounds, France, Morocco in a rematch of the Men's World Cup Semi-Final from last year, and Columbia, Jamaica.
And may I say a word about Jamaica here? Rebecca, the stalwarts of the North American and Caribbean and Central American region, CONCACAF, are of course Canada and United States in the women's game. Canada, for the first time in a long time, has not made the Knockout Rounds, but we've always had the US and Canada, but there's never been a single other team besides those two to make the Knockout Rounds. And Jamaica, step forward, take a bow, because that is progress.

**Rebecca Lowe** (3:51)
Oh, we're gonna get into the Jamaicans. Times are changing, my friend, times are changing. And now you've listed those Knockouts, you'll see, as you said, no Canada, and no blooming Germany.
What in goodness only knows name happened.

**Brendan Hunt** (4:04)
No blooming Germany. So should we do tonight or last night first?

**Rebecca Lowe** (4:10)
Yeah, let's do tonight, because I just woke up, I need to know what went on.

**Brendan Hunt** (4:14)
Okay, so I started by watching Morocco, Columbia, because like Germany was gonna win.
Didn't have to worry about the Germany game, they're playing no point Korea. Come on, this is gonna be fine.

**Rebecca Lowe** (4:23)
They're Germany as well, yeah.

**Brendan Hunt** (4:24)
But then I find out that South Korea has scored. And the visitors are like, whoa, all right, I'm switching back over. Great to see Alexandra Popp.