World Cup 2026 Knockout Stage Update: France, Argentina, Norway Join USA, Mexico, Germany in Round of 32
The Round of 32 is starting to form during Matchday 2 of the 2026 World Cup. Two of the tournament's three hosts, United States and Mexico, have already secured their group titles and advanced to the knockout rounds. Meanwhile, Canada sits on four points after two games and faces Switzerland soon to decide the winner of Group B.
A total of 32 teams will move on from the group stage: the top two from each group plus the eight best third-place finishers.
FIFA Tiebreaker Rules
If teams are tied, FIFA uses the following steps to decide rankings:
- Points earned in matches among the tied teams;
- Goal difference from those matches;
- Most goals scored in those matches;
If still tied, the criteria expand to all group matches:
- Overall goal difference;
- Total goals scored;
- Fair play conduct (yellow/red cards);
If no decision emerges, FIFA rankings serve as the last resort.
Teams Locked Into Round of 32
- United States
- Mexico
- Germany
- Argentina
- France
- Norway
The U.S. secured Group D by beating Paraguay and Australia, locking in a July 1 knockout match against a third-place team from Groups B, E, F, I, or J at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Mexico kept clean sheets versus South Africa and South Korea to top Group A. They will play a third-place finisher from Groups C, E, F, H, or I on June 30 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Germany earned their spot with wins over Curaçao and Ivory Coast. A goalless draw between Ecuador and Curaçao sealed Germany’s Group E victory. Their next match will be against a third-place team from Groups A, B, C, D, or F on June 29 in Boston.
Argentina clinched advancement by defeating Austria and will face the runner-up from Group H on July 3 in Miami, after finishing their group stage against Jordan.
Both France and Norway secured knockout berths with wins over Iraq and Senegal respectively, marking Group I as the first with multiple qualifiers. Their final group game will decide who takes top spot and possibly an easier knockout path.
Teams That Will Not Advance
- Haiti
- Türkiye
- Tunisia
- Jordan
Haiti, appearing for the first time since 1974, have yet to win in this World Cup, losing to Scotland and Brazil, with one final group match left against Morocco.
Expected to contend in Group D, Türkiye suffered defeats to Australia and Paraguay and will not progress. They will face Group D winner United States on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Tunisia started with a heavy 5-1 loss to Sweden, fired their coach immediately, and brought in Hervé Renard. Despite that, a 4-0 loss to Japan knocked them out early.
Jordan lost to Austria and then to Algeria, ending their hopes with one match remaining against defending champion Argentina.
How the New Knockout Bracket Works
FIFA altered the knockout bracket to create two separate paths to the semifinals. This setup avoids the highest-ranked teams meeting before the final if they top their groups. For instance, Spain (top-ranked) and defending champion Argentina (second-ranked) were drawn into opposite halves. Similarly, France (third) and England (fourth) are positioned to meet only in the semifinals or later if both win their groups.
