The battle of the best thirds in the World Championship.. What is the situation after the qualification of 3 teams?

The fight for eight tickets to the 32nd round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup intensified after the end of the second day of the final round of the group stage through the “Best Three” portal.

The race entered its decisive phase after the completion of several group matches, while the other groups are still waiting for their finals, leaving the competition open until the final moments of the first round matches.

So far, 3 teams have decided their places through the portal of the best thirds, which are Sweden (from Group 6), Ecuador (from Group 5) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (from Group 2), and during the last two days of the group stage, 5 cards remain to be decided.

And according to For the tournament listThe top 8 third-placed teams from 12 groups qualify to join the first and second-placed teams in each group, while the bottom four teams exit the competition.

Current ranking of the top three

The Swedish team is in the lead Third place leaderboard After finishing their three matches with 4 points, they outscored second-placed Ecuador on goal difference, who also finished the group stage with 4 points and an equal goal difference (0). The team of Bosnia and Herzegovina is in third place with 4 points and goal difference (-1).

The three teams secured their place in the round of 32.

Meanwhile, the Paraguayan team occupies the fourth place with the same points, but with a goal difference (-2). In fifth place is Croatia with 3 points from just two games, followed by South Korea in sixth place with 3 points after completing all their matches.

Algeria are then 7th with 3 points from two matches, while Scotland currently occupy the eighth and final qualifying spot with 3 points from the end of their campaign in the group stage.

Currently out of the qualification places, Cape Verde are in ninth place with two points from two matches, then Belgium are tenth with two points also from two matches, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo in eleventh place with one point, while Senegal are bottom of the table without a point after two rounds.

We present the full ranking of the top three so far.

The teams have officially qualified

1- Sweden (sixth group) 3 matches, collected 4 points, goal difference 0.

2- Ecuador (group E): 3 matches, collected 4 points, goal difference: 0.

3- Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group 2) 3 matches, 4 points, goal difference -1.

Teams waiting to learn their fate

4- Paraguay (Group D) 3 matches, collected 4 points, goal difference -2.

5- Croatia (Twelfth group): played two matches, collected 3 points, goal difference: 1.

6- South Korea (Group A) 3 matches, collected 3 points, goal difference -1.

7- Algeria (Tenth group): played two matches, collected 3 points, goal difference: 2.

8- Scotland (Third Group) 3 matches, collected 3 points, goal difference -3.

Teams are currently out of selection

9- Cape Verde (Eighth Group): played two matches, collected two points, goal difference: 0.

10- Belgium (seventh group). Two matches played, two points scored, goal difference 0.

11- Democratic Republic of the Congo (Eleventh Group): played two matches, collected one point, goal difference: 1.

12- Senegal (ninth group). He played two games and scored no points with a goal difference of -3.

How does FIFA decide the best third-place finishers?

According to Article 13 FIFA regulationsThe third place teams in the groups are classified according to the following criteria.

1- Most points scored in all group matches.

2- The best goal difference in all matches of the group.

3- Most goals scored in all group matches.

4- The highest score for the disciplinary behavior of the team (players and members of the technical staff) based on the number of yellow and red cards in all group matches.

5- Tie teams will be ranked according to the latest published version of the FIFA World Ranking.

6. If a tie persists, the teams will be ranked according to the immediately preceding version of the FIFA classification, continuing to refer to the previous versions consecutively until the classification is determined.

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