The knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will feature 32 teams, starting from June 28 to July 3. The top two teams from each group and eight best third-place finishers will qualify for this round.
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 tiebreaker for teams level on points for the first time at a World Cup.
Haiti and Turkiye have been eliminated because they are unable to catch the third-placed teams in their respective groups because of 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 applies:
Step two
The qualified teams include the top two from each of the 12 groups and the eight best third-place finishers.
The knockout stage begins on June 28 and runs until July 3.
A total of 32 teams advance to the knockout stage, including the top two from each group and eight best third-place teams.
The knockout stage format includes the top two teams from each of the 12 groups and the eight best third-place finishers.
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If the teams somehow still cannot be separated, then the following criteria below applies:
Step three
The eight best teams among those ranked third will be determined as follows:
The FIFA World Cup trophy is displayed during a stop of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on June 2, 2026 [Timothy A Clary/AFP]
(As of June 20, 07:00 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 in Group D on Friday, June 19. The USA thumped Paraguay 4-1 to kick off their campaign.
Which teams have been knocked out of the World Cup 2026?
⚽️ 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.
Turkiye’s Can Uzun, left, and Kenan Yildiz look dejected after the team was eliminated from the tournament [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]