Argentina's route to World Cup final explained

If South Americans were to make it to the semi-finals, they could face Group F runners-up Croatia or arch-rivals Brazil

Argentina are bidding to win a third World Cup title at the Nov 20-Dec 18 tournament in Qatar. Here is what you need to know about their route to the final:

HOW DID ARGENTINA QUALIFY FOR THE ROUND OF 16?

* The top two in each World Cup group advance to the last 16. The knockout rounds, which began on Saturday, feature one-off matches, which can go to extra time and penalties to decide the winners.

* Argentina recovered from their shock defeat to Saudi Arabia with back-to-back wins over Mexico and Poland to finish as winners of Group C.

HOW DID ARGENTINA REACH THE QUARTER-FINALS?

* Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez scored in Argentina's 2-1 win over Australia in their Round of 16 tie.

WHO ARE ARGENTINA'S QUARTER-FINAL OPPONENTS?

* Argentina will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, after the 2010 finalists beat the United States 3-1.

WHO ARE ARGENTINA'S POTENTIAL OPPONENTS IN THE SEMI-FINALS?

* If Argentina were to make it to the semi-finals, they could face Group F runners-up Croatia or South American rivals Brazil (Group G winners).

WHO COULD ARGENTINA FACE IN THE FINAL?

* If Argentina go all the way to the final, they could potentially find themselves taking on either 2018 champions France (Group D winners), England (Group B winners) or Portugal (Group H winners).