How the knockout bracket works

Thirty-two teams enter the knockout stage: 24 group winners and runners-up plus the eight best third-placed sides. From the Round of 32 onwards every tie is a single-leg match. If scores are level after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time are played, followed by a penalty shoot-out when needed.

Winners progress through the Round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals. The two losing semi-finalists meet in the third-place play-off, and the two winners contest the Final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on 19 July 2026.

About the FIFA World Cup 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd edition of football's flagship national-team tournament. It is the first World Cup to feature 48 teams and the first co-hosted by three nations — the United States, Canada and Mexico — with matches played across 16 host cities. The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 and features 104 matches in total, making it the largest World Cup ever staged.

Competition format

The 48 qualified teams are split into 12 groups of four. Each team plays the other three group members once. The top two from every group plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to a 32-team knockout round, followed by a Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off and the Final.

Qualification

Slots are distributed across confederations: AFC (8), CAF (9), CONCACAF (6 plus 3 host spots), CONMEBOL (6), OFC (1) and UEFA (16). Two additional places are decided through an intercontinental play-off tournament.