It began on 30 June with the round of 16 and ended on 15 July with the final match, held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The top two teams from each group (16 in total) would advance to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination. In the knockout stage, if a match is level at the end of 90 minutes of normal playing time, extra time would be played (two periods of 15 minutes each), where each team is allowed to make a fourth substitution. If still tied after extra time, the match would be decided by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners. A third place play-off will also be played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals.