The knockout bracket in the FIFA World Cup 2026 is starting to take shape.
It begins with the round of 32, which runs from June 28 to July 3.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 items
list 1 of 4âIâm hereâ: Yamal scores, dazzles and embraces the spotlight in World Cup start
list 2 of 4World Cup: Mbappe leads France into crucial Iraq clash in Philadelphia
list 3 of 4Salah scores against NZ as Egypt records historic win at World Cup
list 4 of 4Golf: Clark wins US Open despite hecklers but hopes not to be âheel of PGAâ
end of list
What is the format and criteria for qualification, and which teams have progressed or been eliminated?
What is the format of the World Cup knockouts?
The top two teams in each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to knockouts.
The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, introduced for the first time at a World Cup after the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams.
Then comes the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and a playoff for third place. The final is on July 19.
The stage-wise breakdown of the tournamentâs schedule is:
Group stage: June 11 to June 27
Round of 32: June 28 to July 3
Round of 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 9-11
Semifinals: July 14-15
Bronze medal match: July 18
Final: July 19
What are the rules change for the tie-breaker criteria at the 2026 World Cup?
FIFA is using head-to-head records instead of goal difference as the primary tiebreaker for teams level on points for the first time at a World Cup.
Haiti, Turkiye, Tunisia and Jordan have been eliminated because they are unable to catch the third-placed teams in their respective groups, as they lost to those teams.
Tie-breaker criteria for World Cup groups
According to FIFAâs rules for the tournament, if two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the group stage ends, the following criteria, in the order below, will be applied to determine the ranking:
Step one
Greatest number of points gained in the group matches.
Superior goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head).
Greatest number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head).
If the teams are still tied, the criteria below applies:
Step two
Superior goal difference across all group matches.
Greatest number of goals scored across all group matches.
Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained.
If the teams somehow still cannot be separated, then the following criteria below applies:
Step three
The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA world rankings.
The criteria for the eight bestâranked teams
The eight best teams among those ranked third will be determined as follows:
Greatest number of points gained in all group matches.
Goal difference resulting from all group matches.
Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained in all group matches.
The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA world rankings.
Which teams have reached the World Cup round of 32?
(As of June 23, 05:00 GMT)
âœïž Mexico (Group A)
The cohosts were the first to qualify for the knockouts, after taking top spot in Group A with a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday, June 18. The Mexicans started their campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa in a chaotic tournament opener.
âœïž USA (Group D)
The United States were the second team to punch their ticket to the knockouts, thanks to their 2-0 win over Australia that sent them on top of Group D on Friday, June 19. The USA thumped Paraguay 4-1 to kick off their campaign.
âœïž Germany (Group E)
Germany became the third team to enter the last 32 with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 20. The Germans â who failed to get out of the group stage both at Russia 2018 and four years ago in Qatar â started their tournament with a 7-1 thrashing of Curacao.
âœïž Argentina (Group J)
Argentina sealed their ticket to the knockouts with a 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday, June 22, as Lionel Messi scored twice, becoming the World Cupâs all-time leading scorer with 18 goals. The Argentina captain also bagged his maiden tournament hat-trick in their 3-0 opening game win over Algeria. Reigning champions Argentina are guaranteed the top spot in Group J.
âœïž France (Group I)
Pre-tournament favourites France secured a place in the round of 32 with a 3-0 win over Iraq later on Monday, as Kylian Mbappe scored a brace. The 2018 world champions beat Senegal 3-1 to kick off their tournament, with Mbappe scoring twice in that game, too.
âœïž Norway (Group I)
Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in their second game of the tournament, sealing their place in the knockouts. The Norwegians, who are back at the World Cup after 28 years, started their campaign with a 4-1 thrashing of Iraq.
Which teams have been knocked out of the World Cup 2026?
âœïž Haiti (Group C)
Haiti became the first team to be sent home packing from the World Cup after suffering a 3-0 loss to Brazil on Friday, June 19. Playing in their first tournament since 1974, they also lost 1-0 to Scotland in their first game.
âœïž Turkiye (Group D)
Turkiye soon followed suit, bowing out of the tournament after a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Paraguay later on Friday. They also suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Australia in the first group match â their first appearance at the tournament after 24 years.
âœïž Tunisia (Group F)
Tunisia became the third team to be eliminated after they lost 4-0 to Japan on Saturday, June 20. The defeat came shortly after they suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in the opener. Tunisia were the first African team to win a World Cup match when they beat Mexico in 1978, but they have never progressed beyond the group stages.
âœïž Jordan (Group J)
It begins with the round of 32, which runs from June 28 to July 3.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 items
list 1 of 4âIâm hereâ: Yamal scores, dazzles and embraces the spotlight in World Cup start
list 2 of 4World Cup: Mbappe leads France into crucial Iraq clash in Philadelphia
list 3 of 4Salah scores against NZ as Egypt records historic win at World Cup
list 4 of 4Golf: Clark wins US Open despite hecklers but hopes not to be âheel of PGAâ
end of list
What is the format and criteria for qualification, and which teams have progressed or been eliminated?
What is the format of the World Cup knockouts?
The top two teams in each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to knockouts.
The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, introduced for the first time at a World Cup after the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams.
Then comes the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and a playoff for third place. The final is on July 19.
The stage-wise breakdown of the tournamentâs schedule is:
Group stage: June 11 to June 27
Round of 32: June 28 to July 3
Round of 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 9-11
Semifinals: July 14-15
Bronze medal match: July 18
Final: July 19
What are the rules change for the tie-breaker criteria at the 2026 World Cup?
FIFA is using head-to-head records instead of goal difference as the primary tiebreaker for teams level on points for the first time at a World Cup.
Haiti, Turkiye, Tunisia and Jordan have been eliminated because they are unable to catch the third-placed teams in their respective groups, as they lost to those teams.
Tie-breaker criteria for World Cup groups
According to FIFAâs rules for the tournament, if two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the group stage ends, the following criteria, in the order below, will be applied to determine the ranking:
Step one
Greatest number of points gained in the group matches.
Superior goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head).
Greatest number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head).
If the teams are still tied, the criteria below applies:
Step two
Superior goal difference across all group matches.
Greatest number of goals scored across all group matches.
Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained.
If the teams somehow still cannot be separated, then the following criteria below applies:
Step three
The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA world rankings.
The criteria for the eight bestâranked teams
The eight best teams among those ranked third will be determined as follows:
Greatest number of points gained in all group matches.
Goal difference resulting from all group matches.
Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained in all group matches.
The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA world rankings.
Which teams have reached the World Cup round of 32?
(As of June 23, 05:00 GMT)
âœïž Mexico (Group A)
The cohosts were the first to qualify for the knockouts, after taking top spot in Group A with a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday, June 18. The Mexicans started their campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa in a chaotic tournament opener.
âœïž USA (Group D)
The United States were the second team to punch their ticket to the knockouts, thanks to their 2-0 win over Australia that sent them on top of Group D on Friday, June 19. The USA thumped Paraguay 4-1 to kick off their campaign.
âœïž Germany (Group E)
Germany became the third team to enter the last 32 with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 20. The Germans â who failed to get out of the group stage both at Russia 2018 and four years ago in Qatar â started their tournament with a 7-1 thrashing of Curacao.
âœïž Argentina (Group J)
Argentina sealed their ticket to the knockouts with a 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday, June 22, as Lionel Messi scored twice, becoming the World Cupâs all-time leading scorer with 18 goals. The Argentina captain also bagged his maiden tournament hat-trick in their 3-0 opening game win over Algeria. Reigning champions Argentina are guaranteed the top spot in Group J.
âœïž France (Group I)
Pre-tournament favourites France secured a place in the round of 32 with a 3-0 win over Iraq later on Monday, as Kylian Mbappe scored a brace. The 2018 world champions beat Senegal 3-1 to kick off their tournament, with Mbappe scoring twice in that game, too.
âœïž Norway (Group I)
Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in their second game of the tournament, sealing their place in the knockouts. The Norwegians, who are back at the World Cup after 28 years, started their campaign with a 4-1 thrashing of Iraq.
Which teams have been knocked out of the World Cup 2026?
âœïž Haiti (Group C)
Haiti became the first team to be sent home packing from the World Cup after suffering a 3-0 loss to Brazil on Friday, June 19. Playing in their first tournament since 1974, they also lost 1-0 to Scotland in their first game.
âœïž Turkiye (Group D)
Turkiye soon followed suit, bowing out of the tournament after a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Paraguay later on Friday. They also suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Australia in the first group match â their first appearance at the tournament after 24 years.
âœïž Tunisia (Group F)
Tunisia became the third team to be eliminated after they lost 4-0 to Japan on Saturday, June 20. The defeat came shortly after they suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in the opener. Tunisia were the first African team to win a World Cup match when they beat Mexico in 1978, but they have never progressed beyond the group stages.
âœïž Jordan (Group J)
