The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage format, criteria and rules for qualification. Find out who’s in and who’s out.

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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.

What is the format and criteria for qualification, and which teams have progressed or been eliminated?

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 tournament’s schedule is:

FIFA is using head-to-head records instead of goal difference as the primary tie-breaker for teams level on points for the first time at a World Cup.

Haiti, Turkiye, Tunisia, Jordan and Panama have been eliminated because they are unable to catch the third-placed teams in their respective groups, as they lost to those teams.

According to FIFA’s 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

If the teams are still tied, the criteria below apply:

Step two

If the teams somehow still cannot be separated, then the following criteria apply:

Step three

The eight best teams among those ranked third will be determined as follows:

(As of June 25, 07:30 GMT)

⚽️ 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.

⚽️ 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.

⚽️ 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 – who failed to get out of the group stage both at Russia 2018 and four years ago in Qatar – started their tournament with a 7-1 thrashing of Curacao.

⚽️ 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 Cup’s 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.

⚽️ 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.

⚽️ 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.

⚽️ Colombia (Group K)

Colombia joined the party on Tuesday, June 23, with their 1-0 win over DR Congo. The South Americans also won 3-1 against Uzbekistan in their opening game.

⚽️ Switzerland (Group B)

Unbeaten Switzerland finished top of Group B with seven points.

They officially confirmed their Round of 32 qualification with a 2-1 victory against co-host Canada on Wednesday, June 24 in Vancouver.

⚽️ Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s case for a place in the last 32 was confirmed with a commanding 3-1 win over Qatar.

Coach Sergej Barbarez’s team finished third in Group B behind Switzerland and Canada, and were later confirmed as one of the best third-place qualifiers shortly after their final group match against the 2022 World Cup host nation on Wednesday, June 24.

⚽️ Brazil (Group C)

On Wednesday, June 24, Brazil advanced to ⁠the knockout stages of the World Cup in style after Vinicius Junior netted twice in a 3-0 win over Scotland in their final Group C match. The five-time champions topped Group C with seven points and a +6 goal difference, advancing to the last-32 alongside Morocco.

⚽️ South Africa (Group A)

Bafana Bafana’s unexpected 1-0 win against South Korea on Wednesday, June 24, officially advanced the African nation to the Round of 32. It’s the first time South Africa will take part in the knockout rounds.

⚽️ 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.

⚽️ 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 – their first appearance at the tournament after 24 years.

⚽️ 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.

⚽️ Jordan (Group J)

Jordan, one of the four debutants at the tournament, bowed out on Monday, June 22, after losing 2-1 to Algeria in their second group game. The Asian side also lost 3-1 to Austria in their opening game.

⚽️ Panama (Group L)

Panama were knocked out of the World Cup on Tuesday, June 23, after suffering their second defeat of the group stage, falling 1-0 to Croatia. They also lost 1-0 to Ghana in their first game.

⚽️ Qatar (Group B)

Th 2022 World Cup host nation were eliminated in their final group match on Wednesday June 24.

The Middle East nation lost their group finale to Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 at Lumen Field in Seattle. Qatar finished bottom of Group B with one point.

⚽️ Czechia (Group A)

Co-host Mexico eliminated Czechia’s final hope of progressing to the last-32 with a dominant 3-1 victory over the central European nation on Wednesday, June 24.

Czechia, ranked 40th in the world, had been widely expected to contend for a round of 16 spot but finished last in Group A with one point from their three group fixtures.