"group stage" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "group stages",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "group stage (plural group stages)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sports",
          "orig": "en:Sports",
          "parents": [
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011 December 7, Phil McNulty, “Man City 2 - 0 Bayern Munich”, in BBC Sport",
          "text": "Their ambition of qualifying from the group stage was helped by Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes' decision to relegate many of his key players to the bench, having already won the group. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Mario Gomez, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller all watched from the sidelines.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "the stage of a competition where teams in the same group play each other, usually before the knockout stage."
      ],
      "id": "en-group_stage-en-noun-xa0rEEpq",
      "links": [
        [
          "sports",
          "sports"
        ],
        [
          "knockout",
          "knockout"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(sports) the stage of a competition where teams in the same group play each other, usually before the knockout stage."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "group stage"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "group stages",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "group stage (plural group stages)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Sports"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011 December 7, Phil McNulty, “Man City 2 - 0 Bayern Munich”, in BBC Sport",
          "text": "Their ambition of qualifying from the group stage was helped by Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes' decision to relegate many of his key players to the bench, having already won the group. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Mario Gomez, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller all watched from the sidelines.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "the stage of a competition where teams in the same group play each other, usually before the knockout stage."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sports",
          "sports"
        ],
        [
          "knockout",
          "knockout"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(sports) the stage of a competition where teams in the same group play each other, usually before the knockout stage."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "group stage"
}