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 finals will begin with the Round of 32, which was introduced at the 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?
For the first time in a World Cup, FIFA is using head-to-head record rather than goal difference as the primary tiebreaker when teams are tied on points.
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 for some reason it is still not possible 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 26th 04:30GMT)
⚽️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 defeated Australia 2-0 on Friday, June 19, to take the lead in Group D and become the second team to earn a ticket to the finals. 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 failed to make it past the group stage 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, with Mbappé scoring twice in that match as well.
⚽️ 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.
⚽️Colombia (Group K)
Colombia entered the competition on Tuesday, June 23, with a 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The South American national team defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 in their first match.
⚽️Switzerland (Group B)
Undefeated Switzerland leads Group B with seven points.
On Wednesday, June 24th, they officially secured their place in the Round of 32 with a 2-1 victory over co-host Canada in Vancouver.
⚽️Canada (Group B)
Although Canada lost to Switzerland in their final group match, they earned four points, enough to secure second place in Group B. Canada started the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina before defeating Qatar 6-0.
⚽️Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)
Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Qatar 3-1, securing their place in the last 32.
Sergey Barbares’ team finished third in Group B behind Switzerland and Canada, confirming one of the highest third places in qualifying immediately after the final group match against the 2022 World Cup hosts on Wednesday, June 24th.
⚽️Brazil (Group C)
On Wednesday 24th June, Brazil made a spectacular run to the World Cup finals with a 3-0 victory over Scotland in their final Group C match, with Vinicius Junior scoring twice. The five-time champions topped Group C with seven points and a goal difference of +6.
⚽️Morocco (Group C)
Morocco were the second team to advance from Group C, finishing with 7 points with 1 draw and 2 wins.
⚽️South Africa (Group A)
Bafana Bafana’s surprise 1-0 win over South Korea on Wednesday, June 24th, saw the African nation officially advance to the Round of 32. This is the first time South Africa will participate in the final tournament.
⚽️Ecuador (Group E)
Ecuador advanced to the last 32 with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Germany in a thrilling match on Thursday, June 25th. As a result, Ecuador finished Group E with 4 points and are guaranteed to advance to the last 32 as one of the top eight teams in third place.
⚽️Ivory Coast (Group E)
Nicolas Pepe’s double secured a 2-0 victory over Curaçao on Thursday, helping the African team finish second in Group E and book Ivory Coast’s first place in the knockout stages. In their previous group games, they lost to Germany 2-1 and won against Ecuador 1-0.
⚽️Netherlands (Group F)
The Netherlands defeated Tunisia 3-1 in the final group match, earning them a ticket to the final tournament as the top of Group F. They are in first place with 7 points with 2 wins and 1 draw.
⚽️Japan (Group F)
Japan drew 1-1 with Sweden in the final group match and advanced from Group F in second place. They earned 5 points with 2 draws and 1 win.
⚽️Sweden (Group F)
Sweden earned four points with one win, one draw, and one loss, making it one of the top eight third-place teams.
⚽️ Australia (Group D)
Australia qualified for the knockout stage after a 0-0 draw with Paraguay on Thursday, finishing second in Group D. The Socceroos earned four points from three games.
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.
⚽️Jordan (Group J)
Jordan, one of four players appearing in the competition for the first time, withdrew on Monday 22 June following a 2-1 loss to Algeria in the second group match. The Asian side also lost 1-3 to Austria in their first match.
⚽️ Panama (Group L)
Panama lost 1-0 to Croatia on Tuesday, June 23, their second loss in the group stage, and were eliminated from the World Cup. They lost to Ghana 0-1 in their first match.
⚽️Qatar (Group B)
The 2022 World Cup hosts were eliminated in their final group match on Wednesday, June 24th.
The Middle Eastern nation lost 3-1 to Bosnia and Herzegovina in their final group match at Lumen Field in Seattle. Qatar finished last in Group B with one point.
⚽️Czech Republic (Group A)
Co-hosts Mexico ended the Czech Republic’s last hopes of making it to the last 32 with a resounding 3-1 victory over the Central European nation on Wednesday, June 24.
The Czech Republic, ranked 40th in the world, were widely expected to fight for a place in the round of 16, but finished bottom of Group A with one point from their three games.
⚽️Curaçao (Group E)
Curaçao became the eighth team to be eliminated from the tournament, but their fate came later than many expected after the Caribbean nation became the smallest country to qualify for the World Cup finals.
Their loss against Ivory Coast sealed their fate in the tournament.
