Get you up to speed: Which teams have qualified for the World Cup 2026 knockouts, round of 32?
Mexico and the USA have qualified for the knockouts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after wins over South Korea and Australia, respectively. Haiti and Turkiye have been eliminated from the tournament, with Haiti losing to Brazil and Turkiye facing Paraguay in Santa Clara, California.
The knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins with the round of 32, which is scheduled to run from June 28 to July 3. Haiti and Turkiye have been officially eliminated from the tournament, marking the end of their campaigns following defeats in group matches.
FIFA has confirmed that the knockout stage will include a round of 32, marking a first in World Cup history as the tournament expands to 48 teams. Following the elimination of Haiti and Turkiye, tournament officials are set to release updated group standings and schedule adjustments on June 22.
What remains unclear — It is not specified which teams have yet to secure their places in the knockout stage of the FIFA Football World Cup 2026.
Teams qualified for World Cup 2026 knockout stage, round of 32
The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage format, criteria and rules for qualification.
Find out who’s in and who’s out?
The knockout bracket in the FIFA World Cup 2026 is starting to take shape.
It begins with the round of 32, which runs from June 28 to July 3.
What is the format and criteria for qualification, and which teams have progressed or been eliminated?
What is the format of the World Cup knockouts?
The top two teams in each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to knockouts.
The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, introduced for the first time at a World Cup after the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams.
Then comes the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and a playoff for third place. The final is on July 19.
The schedule of the tournament’s next rounds is:
Group stage: June 11 to June 27
Round of 32 will kick-off: June 28 to July 3
Round of 16 will kick-off: July 4-7
Quarterfinals will kick-off: July 9-11
World cup Semifinals will be played on: July 14-15
Bronze medal is on: July 18
The World Cup 2026 Final: July 19
What are the rules change for the tie-breaker criteria at the 2026 World Cup?
Fifa is using head-to-head records instead of goal difference as the primary tiebreaker for teams level on points for the first time at a World Cup.
Haiti and Turkiye have been eliminated because they are unable to catch the third-placed teams in their respective groups because of they lost to those teams.
Tie-breaker criteria for World Cup groups
According to FIFA’s rules for the tournament, if two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the group stage ends, the following criteria, in the order below, will be applied to determine the ranking:
Step one
Greatest number of points gained in the group matches.
Superior goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head).
Greatest number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head).
If the teams are still tied, the criteria below applies:
Step two
Superior goal difference across all group matches.
Greatest number of goals scored across all group matches.
Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained.
If the teams somehow still cannot be separated, then the following criteria below applies:
Step three
The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA world rankings.
The criteria for the eight best‑ranked teams
The eight best teams among those ranked third will be determined as follows:
- Greatest number of points gained in all group matches.
Goal difference resulting from all group matches. - Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
- Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained in all group matches.
- The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA world rankings.
The FIFA World Cup trophy is displayed during a stop of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on June 2, 2026 [Timothy A Clary/AFP]
Which teams have reached the World Cup round of 32?
(As of June 21, 03:00 GMT)
⚽️ Mexico (Group A)
The cohosts were the first to qualify for the knockouts, after taking top spot in Group A with a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday, June 18. The Mexicans started their campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa in a chaotic tournament opener.
⚽️ USA (Group D)
The United States were the second team to punch their ticket to the knockouts, thanks to their 2-0 win over Australia in Group D on Friday, June 19. The USA thumped Paraguay 4-1 to kick off their campaign.
⚽️ Germany (Group E)
Germany became the third team to enter the last 32 with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 20. The Germans – who failed to get out of the group stage both at Russia 2018 and four years ago in Qatar – started their tournament with a 7-1 thrashing of Curacao.
Which teams have been knocked out of the World Cup 2026?
⚽️ Haiti (Group C)
Haiti became the first team to be sent home packing from the World Cup after suffering a 3-0 loss to Brazil on Friday, June 19. Playing in their first tournament since 1974, they also lost 1-0 to Scotland in their first game.
⚽️ Turkiye (Group D)
Turkiye soon followed suit, bowing out of the tournament after a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Paraguay later on Friday. They also suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Australia in the first group match – their first appearance at the tournament after 24 years.
Turkiye’s Can Uzun, left, and Kenan Yildiz look dejected after the team was eliminated from the tournament [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]