The 2026 World Cup is beginning to map out its knockout bracket. With the group stage coming to an end, what follows is the Round of 32 featuring 16 high-stakes matches, from which the next world champion will emerge.
The national teams that finished in first and second place, along with the eight best third-place finishers from the groups, secured a spot in the next phase, which begins on Sunday, June 28, and concludes on Friday, July 3.
Mexico and the United States, two of the tournament hosts, were the first to accomplish the objective after securing a perfect record of victories across their opening two matchdays.
Here is the complete list of qualified teams:
- Mexico – 1st Group A
- Switzerland – 1st Group B
- Brazil – 1st Group C
- United States – 1st Group D
- Germany – 1st Group E
- Netherlands – 1st Group F
- Belgium – 1st Group G
- Spain – 1st Group H
- France – 1st Group I
- Argentina – 1st Group J
- Colombia – 1st Group K
- England – 1st Group L
- South Africa – 2nd Group A
- Canada – 2nd Group B
- Morocco – 2nd Group C
- Australia – 2nd Group D
- Ivory Coast – 2nd Group E
- Japan – 2nd Group F
- Egypt – 2nd Group G
- Cape Verde – 2nd Group H
- Norway – 2nd Group I
- Austria – 2nd Group J
- Portugal – 2nd Group K
- Croatia – 2nd Group L
- Bosnia and Herzegovina – 3rd Group B
- Paraguay – 3rd Group D
- Ecuador – 3rd Group E
- Sweden – 3rd Group F
- Senegal – 3rd Group I
- Algeria – 3rd Group J
- DR Congo – 3rd Group K
- Ghana – 3rd Group L
Round of 32 bracket
The elimination matchups are scheduled for the following days:
Sunday, June 28
- South Africa vs. Canada – 3:00 PM (ET) – Los Angeles Stadium
Monday, June 29
- Brazil vs. Japan – 1:00 PM (ET) – Houston Stadium
- Germany vs. Paraguay – 4:30 PM (ET) – Boston Stadium
- Netherlands vs. Morocco – 9:00 PM (ET) – Estadio Monterrey
Tuesday, June 30
- Ivory Coast vs. Norway – 1:00 PM (ET) – Dallas Stadium
- France vs. Sweden – 5:00 PM (ET) – New York New Jersey Stadium
- Mexico vs. Ecuador – 9:00 PM (ET) – Mexico City Stadium
Wednesday, July 1
- England vs. DR Congo – 12:00 PM (ET) – Atlanta Stadium
- Belgium vs. Senegal – 4:00 PM (ET) – Seattle Stadium
- United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina – 8:00 PM (ET) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Thursday, July 2
- Spain vs. Austria – 3:00 PM (ET) – Los Angeles Stadium
- Portugal vs. Croatia – 7:00 PM (ET) – Toronto Stadium
- Switzerland vs. Algeria – 11:00 PM (ET) – BC Place Vancouver
Friday, July 3
- Australia vs. Egypt – 2:00 PM (ET) – Dallas Stadium
- Argentina vs. Cape Verde – 6:00 PM (ET) – Miami Stadium
- Colombia vs. Ghana – 9:30 PM (ET) – Kansas City Stadium
This elimination round will give soccer fans plenty to talk about with stellar matchups, happening at a stage where squads already begin playing “finals,” given the single-elimination format. The most prominent fixtures include the Netherlands against Morocco, as they are title contenders and strong rivals, with one bowing out very early, alongside Portugal vs. Croatia, Brazil vs. Japan, and Mexico vs. Ecuador serving as the clear highlights.
This is a tournament phase where agonizing qualifications, last-minute goals, extra time, and penalty shootouts return to center stage. It is an environment where nerves take their toll, and a single minimal error can leave a team completely out of the competition.
