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The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage format, criteria and qualifying rules. Know who is in and who is out.
Updated on 21 Jun 2026
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Updated: 18 minutes ago
The last box in the FIFA World Cup 2026 is starting to form.
It starts with the 32nd round, which runs from June 28 to July 3.
list of things 3end of series
What is the format and qualification process, which teams will advance or be eliminated?
The top two teams from each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance.
The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, which was introduced for the first time at the World Cup after the expansion of the competition from 32 to 48 teams.
Then comes the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and playoff for third place. The finals are on July 19.
The detailed description of the contest is as follows:
Fifa is using head-to-head records instead of goal difference as the first team to have points at the World Cup.
Haiti and Turkey have been eliminated because they are unable to catch the third-placed teams in their groups because they lost to these teams.
According to FIFA rules for the tournamentIf two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the end of the group, the following methods, in the order below, will be used to determine the ranking:
Step 1
If the teams are still tied, the following applies:
Step 2
If the groups cannot be separated, then the following applies:
Step 3
The eight best teams among the third-place finishers will be determined as follows:

(As of June 21, 03:00 GMT)
⚽️ Mexico (Group A)
Groups were first to qualify for competitionsafter taking top spot in Group A with a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday, June 18. The Mexicans began their campaign with 2-0 to South Africa in the opening frenzy of the tournament.
⚽️ USA (Group D)
The United States was the second team to boxing their pass to the knockoutsfor their 2-0 win over Australia in Group D on Friday, June 19. USA defeated Paraguay 4-1 to start their campaign.
⚽️ Germany (Group E)
Germany became the third team to enter the last 32 with a Ivory Coast won 2-1 Saturday, June 20. The Germans – who failed to get out of the group stage in Russia 2018 and four years ago in Qatar – began their tournament with 7-1 fall in Curacao.
⚽️ Haiti (Group C)
Haiti became the first team to be sent home after being kicked out of the World Cup after struggling 3-0 loss to Brazil on Friday, June 19. Playing in their first tournament since 1974, they lost again 1-0 to Scotland in their first game.
⚽️ Turkey (Group D)
Turkiye soon followed suit, dropping out of the competition after A 1-0 loss to 10-man Paraguay then Friday. They also suffered a a 2-0 defeat to Australia in the group’s first match – their first competitive appearance in 24 years.
