World Cup 2026: Which Teams Have Already Secured a Place in the Round of 32?
Manasi Pathak, Al Jazeera English
The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage is taking shape under a new 32-team round. As of June 25, 12 teams have secured their places, while eight have been eliminated. The group stage concludes on June 27.
The knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is taking shape for the first time with a 32-team round, following the tournament's expansion from 32 to 48 teams. This round runs from June 28 to July 3.
New Format and Ranking Criteria
Under the regulations, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advance to the knockout stage. After the Round of 32 comes the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place match, and the final on July 19.
For the first time at a World Cup, FIFA applies head-to-head results as the primary tiebreaker instead of goal difference when teams finish level on points. Subsequent tiebreakers are overall group goal difference, goals scored, fair-play points (based on yellow and red cards), and finally the FIFA world ranking.
Teams That Have Qualified for the Round of 32 (as of 07:30 GMT on June 25)
- Mexico (Group A): Hosts Mexico were the first team to qualify after a 1-0 win over South Korea on June 18. They topped the group with three wins out of three.
- USA (Group D): The second host nation to qualify, thanks to a 2-0 victory over Australia on June 19, finishing top of Group D.
- Germany (Group E): Germany made a strong comeback after two World Cups where they were eliminated in the group stage, qualifying on June 20 with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.
- Argentina (Group J): The defending world champions qualified on June 22 after a 2-0 win over Austria. Lionel Messi scored twice, becoming the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 18 goals.
- France (Group I): Title contenders qualified on June 23 with a 3-0 win over Iraq. Kylian Mbappé scored a brace.
- Norway (Group I): Returning to the World Cup after a 28-year absence, Norway qualified on June 23 with a 3-2 win over Senegal.
- Colombia (Group K): Colombia secured a spot on June 23 after a 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Switzerland (Group B): Unbeaten and top of Group B with seven points, Switzerland officially qualified on June 24 after a 2-1 win over hosts Canada.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B): Finishing third in Group B, Bosnia became one of the eight best third-placed teams after a 3-1 win over Qatar on June 24.
- Brazil (Group C): The five-time world champions qualified on June 24 with a 3-0 win over Scotland, including a brace from Vinícius Júnior.
- South Africa (Group A): For the first time in history, South Africa advanced to the World Cup knockout stage after a 1-0 win over South Korea on June 24.
Teams Already Eliminated
- Haiti (Group C): The first team eliminated, following a 3-0 defeat to Brazil on June 19.
- Turkey (Group D): Eliminated after a 1-0 loss to Paraguay (who played with 10 men) on June 19.
- Tunisia (Group F): Eliminated after a 4-0 loss to Japan on June 20.
- Jordan (Group J): The World Cup debutants were eliminated after a 2-1 loss to Algeria on June 22.
- Panama (Group L): Eliminated after a 1-0 loss to Croatia on June 23.
- Qatar (Group B): The 2022 World Cup hosts were eliminated after a 3-1 loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24, finishing bottom of Group B with one point.
- Czech Republic (Group A): Eliminated after a 3-1 loss to hosts Mexico on June 24, finishing bottom of Group A with one point.
The list of qualifiers and eliminated teams will continue to be updated as the group stage ends on June 27.
