World Cup 2026 Bracket and Knockout Fixtures: Full Schedule and How Every Team Qualified
- The 2026 World Cup knockout stage is a fixed single-elimination bracket that opened with the new Round of 32 on June 28 and runs to the final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey on July 19 — the 12 group winners, 12 runners-up and 8 best third-placed teams made the cut.
- Level after 90 minutes means 30 minutes of extra time, then a penalty shootout — no replays, no redraws.
- Third-placed teams were ranked by points, then goal difference, then goals scored; the bottom four went home.
The 2026 World Cup Round of 16 is complete — and it has been savage on the favourites. Holders Argentina survived the scare of the tournament, going 2-0 down to Egypt — with Lionel Messi’s first-half penalty saved — before storming back to win 3-2, Messi turning hero with an assist and the equaliser and Enzo Fernandez firing a stoppage-time winner; five-time winners Brazil were dumped out by Erling Haaland’s Norway; and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal are gone after Spain edged them 1-0 in what was widely reported as Ronaldo’s last World Cup. Co-hosts USA and Mexico are both out too. From here it’s single-elimination all the way to the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. Eight teams remain: Morocco, France, Norway, England, Spain, Belgium, Argentina and Switzerland, and all four quarter-finals are now set. Here’s the complete updated bracket — every Round of 32 result, all eight Round of 16 results, the quarter-final ties, and how all 32 teams booked their place.
How does the World Cup 2026 knockout stage work?
This is the first World Cup with 48 teams, which adds a brand-new Round of 32 before the familiar Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. The 12 groups each sent their top two teams straight through — that’s 24 — and they’re joined by the eight best third-placed teams out of the 12, ranked by points, then goal difference, then goals scored. The bottom four third-placed teams went home.
From here it’s win-or-go-home: if a match is level after 90 minutes, it goes to 30 minutes of extra time, and then a penalty shootout if still tied. The bracket is fixed, with no redraws, so every team already knows its possible path to the final. If you want the finer detail on how the third-place ranking and tiebreakers work, we broke that down in our guide to the 2026 World Cup tiebreakers and how third-placed teams advance.
Who qualified for the World Cup 2026 Round of 32?
The 32 knockout teams split into three groups by how they got there:
- Group winners (12): Mexico, Switzerland, Brazil, USA, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, France, Argentina, Colombia, England.
- Runners-up (12): South Africa, Canada, Morocco, Australia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Egypt, Cape Verde, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Croatia.
- Best third-placed (8): Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Sweden, Senegal, Algeria, DR Congo, Ghana.
The four third-placed teams that just missed out were South Korea, Scotland, Iran and Uruguay — Iran in particular went out despite drawing all three games, edged out of the last third-place spot on the tiebreakers.
World Cup 2026 Round of 32 results
All 16 Round of 32 ties were played from June 28 to July 3. Here’s how each one finished — winners in bold, with Germany and the Netherlands the headline casualties on penalties.
| Date | Round of 32 tie | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Jun 28 | South Africa vs Canada | Canada 1–0 | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood |
| Mon Jun 29 | Brazil vs Japan | Brazil 2–1 | NRG Stadium, Houston |
| Mon Jun 29 | Germany vs Paraguay | Paraguay 1–1 (4–3 pens) | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough |
| Mon Jun 29 | Netherlands vs Morocco | Morocco 1–1 (3–2 pens) | Estadio BBVA, Monterrey |
| Tue Jun 30 | Ivory Coast vs Norway | Norway 2–1 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
| Tue Jun 30 | France vs Sweden | France 3–0 | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
| Tue Jun 30 | Mexico vs Ecuador | Mexico 2–0 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
| Wed Jul 1 | England vs DR Congo | England 2–1 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
| Wed Jul 1 | Belgium vs Senegal | Belgium 3–2 (AET) | Lumen Field, Seattle |
| Wed Jul 1 | USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina | USA 2–0 | Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara |
| Thu Jul 2 | Spain vs Austria | Spain 3–0 | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood |
| Thu Jul 2 | Portugal vs Croatia | Portugal 2–1 | BMO Field, Toronto |
| Thu Jul 2 | Switzerland vs Algeria | Switzerland 2–0 | BC Place, Vancouver |
| Fri Jul 3 | Australia vs Egypt | Egypt 1–1 (4–2 pens) | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
| Fri Jul 3 | Argentina vs Cape Verde | Argentina 3–2 (AET) | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens |
| Fri Jul 3 | Colombia vs Ghana | Colombia 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City |
World Cup 2026 bracket: the route to the final
The draw splits into two halves, each producing one finalist. The first bracket below is the top half, where the winners feed one semi-final; the second is the bottom half, feeding the other. The Round of 32 winners meet in the Round of 16 ties shown, then funnel through the quarter-finals and semi-finals to the July 19 final.
| Top-half Round of 16 | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Morocco 3–0 Canada ✔ | Sat Jul 4 | NRG Stadium, Houston |
| France 1–0 Paraguay ✔ | Sat Jul 4 | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |
| Norway 2–1 Brazil ✔ | Sun Jul 5 | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
| England 3–2 Mexico ✔ | Sun Jul 5 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
| Bottom-half Round of 16 | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Spain 1–0 Portugal ✔ | Mon Jul 6 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
| Belgium 4–1 USA ✔ | Mon Jul 6 | Lumen Field, Seattle |
| Argentina 3–2 Egypt ✔ | Tue Jul 7 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
| Switzerland 0–0 (4–3 pens) Colombia ✔ | Tue Jul 7 | BC Place, Vancouver |
With the Round of 16 complete, all four quarter-finals are now confirmed: QF1 France vs Morocco (Thu Jul 9, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough), QF2 Norway vs England (Sat Jul 11, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens), QF3 Spain vs Belgium (Fri Jul 10, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood) and QF4 Argentina vs Switzerland (Sat Jul 11, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City). The closing rounds are fixed by date and city: the quarter-finals run July 9 (Foxborough), July 10 (Inglewood) and July 11 (Miami Gardens and Kansas City); the semi-finals are July 14 in Arlington and July 15 in Atlanta; the third-place play-off is July 18 in Miami Gardens; and the final is Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
How did each team qualify from its group?
Here’s every group’s outcome at a glance — who won it, who finished second, and which third-placed teams survived the cut.
| Group | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Mexico | South Africa | South Korea (out) |
| B | Switzerland | Canada | Bosnia & Herzegovina (advanced) |
| C | Brazil | Morocco | Scotland (out) |
| D | USA | Australia | Paraguay (advanced) |
| E | Germany | Ivory Coast | Ecuador (advanced) |
| F | Netherlands | Japan | Sweden (advanced) |
| G | Belgium | Egypt | Iran (out) |
| H | Spain | Cape Verde | Uruguay (out) |
| I | France | Norway | Senegal (advanced) |
| J | Argentina | Austria | Algeria (advanced) |
| K | Colombia | Portugal | DR Congo (advanced) |
| L | England | Croatia | Ghana (advanced) |
A few results stood out. France were the only team to win all three group games with a perfect record, alongside group-topping runs from Mexico and Argentina. Germany lost their final group game to Ecuador yet still finished top of Group E — and that defeat pushed Ecuador through as a third-placed team, only for Mexico to knock them out 2-0 at the Estadio Azteca in the Round of 32. Cape Verde produced the story of the group stage, drawing all three matches to reach the knockouts for the first time, before holders Argentina edged them 3-2 after extra time.
Which quarter-finals should you watch?
The last eight is stacked. Spain vs Belgium (Fri Jul 10, Inglewood) is the pick of the round — Spain arrive on a World Cup-record sixth consecutive clean sheet after grinding out a 1-0 win over Portugal, against a Belgium side unbeaten in 18 games who put four past the USA. France vs Morocco (Thu Jul 9, Foxborough) is a rematch of the 2022 semi-final and opens the quarters. Norway vs England (Sat Jul 11, Miami Gardens) sends Erling Haaland — who has already knocked out Brazil — against a Jude Bellingham-inspired England. And Argentina vs Switzerland (Sat Jul 11, Kansas City) pits the holders — who survived a 2-0 scare against Egypt to win 3-2, Messi answering his saved penalty with an assist and the equaliser — against a Switzerland side that reached their first quarter-final since 1954 by edging Colombia on penalties. For how that comeback unfolded, see our Argentina vs Egypt tactical breakdown, and for our earlier favourites and who we tipped, our World Cup 2026 Round of 32 preview.
The bottom line
The Round of 16 has been brutal on the big names — five-time winners Brazil are gone, dumped out 2-1 by Haaland’s Norway; and Ronaldo’s Portugal are done after Spain’s 1-0 win in what looks like his final World Cup. Co-hosts USA and Mexico are both out too, and Egypt led holders Argentina 2-0 only to be stunned 3-2, Messi shrugging off a saved penalty to set up one goal and score another before Enzo Fernandez’s stoppage-time winner sent the champions through. Eight teams remain — Morocco, France, Norway, England, Spain, Belgium, Argentina and Switzerland — and all four quarter-finals are set: France vs Morocco (Jul 9, Foxborough), Spain vs Belgium (Jul 10, Inglewood), Norway vs England (Jul 11, Miami Gardens) and Argentina vs Switzerland (Jul 11, Kansas City). From here it’s the quarter-finals from July 9, the semi-finals on July 14 and 15, and the final on July 19 at MetLife. For how all 48 sides stack up, see our World Cup 2026 power ranking. Bookmark this page — we’ll keep the bracket updated as the winners come in.
Fixtures, dates and kickoff times are as confirmed at the start of the knockout stage and may be subject to change. Times are listed in US Eastern Time; convert to your local time zone before planning around a match.