2026 FIFA World Cup final tournament format, qualifications, and rules. Find out who is participating and who is absent.
Published June 23, 2026
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Updated: 2 hours ago
The final tournament of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is starting to take shape.
It begins with Round 32, which will be held from June 28th to July 3rd.
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What is the format and criteria for qualification and which teams advance and are eliminated?
What is the format of the World Cup final?
The top two teams in each of the 12 groups and the top eight teams in the top three will advance to the final tournament.
The knockout tournament begins in the round of 32 and was first introduced at a World Cup after the tournament expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
This will be followed by the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and third-place match. The final will be on July 19th.
Here is a stage-by-stage breakdown of the tournament schedule:
Group Stage: June 11th – June 27th Round 32: June 28th – July 3rd Round 16: July 4th – 7th Quarterfinals: July 9th – 11th Semifinals: July 14th – 15th Bronze Medal Match: July 18th Final: July 19th
What are the rule changes for tie-breaking criteria at the 2026 World Cup?
FIFA is using head-to-head record rather than goal difference as the primary tiebreaker to tie teams on points for the first time in a World Cup.
Haiti, Turkiye, and Tunisia lost to the third-place teams in their respective groups, and were unable to catch up and were eliminated.
World Cup Group Tiebreak Criteria
According to FIFA’s tournament rules, if two or more teams in the same group are tied on points after the group stage, the following criteria will be applied in order to determine the standings:
Step 1
Most points earned in group matches. The team has an excellent goal difference in group matches (direct competition). The highest number of points scored in a group match (direct match) between the teams concerned.
If teams are still tied, the following criteria will apply:
Step 2
Excellent goal difference in all group matches. Most points scored in all group matches. Highest team behavior score (players and team officials) related to number of yellow and red cards earned.
If you are still unable to separate teams, the following criteria apply:
Step 3
Two or more teams tied on points will be ranked according to the latest edition of the FIFA World Rankings.
Top 8 team criteria
The top 8 teams will be determined from the 3rd place teams as follows:
Most points earned in all group matches. Goal difference from all group matches. Most points scored in all group games. Best team behavior score (players and team officials) related to the number of yellow and red cards earned in all group matches. Two or more teams tied on points will be ranked according to the latest edition of the FIFA World Rankings.
Which teams made it to the World Cup Round of 32?
(As of June 23rd 02:30GMT)
⚽️Mexico (Group A)
The co-hosts were the first to qualify for the finals after taking first place in Group A with a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday, June 18. Mexico got off to a chaotic start to the tournament with a 2-0 win over South Africa.
⚽️ America (Group D)
The United States became the second team to earn a ticket to the finals, thanks to their 2-0 win over Australia on Friday, June 19th, which took them to the top of Group D. The United States opened the tournament by defeating Paraguay 4-1.
⚽️Germany (Group E)
Germany became the third team to reach the last 32 with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 20th. The Germans, who missed out on group stage eliminations in both Russia 2018 and Qatar four years ago, started the tournament with a 7-1 win over Curaçao.
⚽️Argentina (Group J)
Argentina booked their ticket to the finals with a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday, June 22, as Lionel Messi scored twice to become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 18 goals. The Argentina captain scored his first hat-trick in the opening match against Algeria in a 3-0 win. Defending champions Argentina are guaranteed to finish first in Group J.
⚽️ France (Group I)
France, the pre-tournament favorite to win the tournament, advanced to the round of 32 with a 3-0 victory over Iraq late Monday thanks to two goals from Kylian Mbappé. The 2018 world champions opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over Senegal, in which Mbappé also scored twice.
⚽️ Norway (Group I)
Norway defeated Senegal 3-2 in the second match of the tournament, clinching a place in the finals. Norway’s national team, returning to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years, opened the tournament by defeating Iraq 4-1.
Which team was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup?
⚽️ Haiti (Group C)
Haiti lost 3-0 to Brazil on Friday, June 19, becoming the first team to return home from the World Cup. Haiti, participating in the tournament for the first time since 1974, also lost 1-0 to Scotland in their first match.
⚽️Tolkie (Group D)
Tolkier quickly followed suit, losing 1-0 to 10-a-side Paraguay late Friday and withdrawing from the tournament. They also suffered a shocking 2-0 loss to Australia in the first group stage match, marking their first appearance in 24 years.
⚽️Tunisia (Group F)
Tunisia lost 4-0 to Japan on Saturday, June 20th, becoming the third team to be eliminated. The defeat came on the heels of a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in the season opener. Tunisia became the first African team to win a World Cup match when they defeated Mexico in 1978, but they have never advanced beyond the group stage.
