Knockout format and schedule
The top two teams in each of the 12 groups advance to the knockouts, along with the eight best third place finishers. The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, introduced for the first time at a World Cup following the tournament's expansion from 32 to 48 teams.
After the round of 32 comes the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals, and a playoff for third place. The final is set for July 19.
Tie breaker rules at World Cup 2026
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.
Under FIFA's rules for the tournament, if two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the group stage ends, criteria will be applied in order to determine the ranking. Additional criteria apply if teams remain tied, and further criteria apply if teams still cannot be separated. The eight best teams among those ranked third will be determined through FIFA's criteria for the eight best ranked third place teams.
Haiti and Turkiye have been eliminated because they are unable to catch the third placed teams in their respective groups after losing to those teams.
Teams that have reached the round of 32
Three nations have confirmed their places in the last 32 as of the June 21 update:
- Mexico (Group A): The cohosts were the first team to qualify for the knockouts, taking top spot in Group A with a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday, June 18. Mexico started their campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa in a chaotic tournament opener.
- United States (Group D): The USA were the second team to punch their ticket to the knockouts, thanks to a 2-0 win over Australia on Friday, June 19. The United States thumped Paraguay 4-1 to kick off their campaign.
- Germany : 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.
Teams knocked out of World Cup 2026
Three teams have already been eliminated from the tournament:
- Haiti : Haiti became the first team to be sent home from the World Cup after suffering a 3-0 loss to Brazil on Friday, June 19. Playing in their first tournament since 1974, Haiti also lost 1-0 to Scotland in their first game.
- Turkiye : Turkiye soon followed, bowing out of the tournament after a 1-0 defeat to 10 man Paraguay later on Friday, June 19. Turkiye also suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Australia in their first group match, marking their first appearance at the tournament after 24 years.
- Tunisia : 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.
