England, Argentina in tougher path to Under-20 World Cup final; Brazil finds better road

Updated May. 28, 2023 9:15 p.m. ET

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SAO PAULO (AP) — The knockout stage of the Under-20 World Cup will feature all four South American teams that started the tournament, and only two European soccer powerhouses: England and Italy.

The two will meet on Wednesday in the most anticipated encounter of the round-of-16. The winner will move to face Colombia or Slovakia in the quarter-finals.

On the same side of the draw, Argentina will take on Nigeria on Wednesday. If the hosts advance, they will play either a physically strong Ecuador or a fast-paced South Korea.

Brazil's next rival will be Tunisia, which advanced for having scored one more goal than France. If the Brazilians confirm their favoritism on Wednesday, they will take on either Asian champion Uzbekistan or debutant Israel.

The United States will play New Zealand on Tuesday in the battle to reach the last eight. The winner of that match will challenge either Gambia or Uruguay.

Two of the favorites in the tournament failed to advance to the round-of-16; France finished third in its group and African champions Senegal, in fourth. Japan, which ended its group stage campaign in third position, also failed to qualify after a strong start.

Among the teams advancing to the knockout stage, Argentina has six titles in the tournament, Brazil totals five and England won the 2017 edition.

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