The group stage of the 2026 World Cup has come to an end, and the 32 qualified teams now know their Round of 32 opponents. The group stage of the 2026 World Cup has reached its conclusion, and the path to the title is finally clear. After 72 matches across 16 venues in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the full Round of 32 bracket is now set, with every team’s opening knockout opponent, date, and venue confirmed.
The expanded 48-team format made this group stage unlike any other in tournament history. With 12 groups of four, only the top two finishers in each group were guaranteed automatic passage to the knockout rounds, while the remaining eight slots went to the best third-placed teams across the entire competition.
Among the headlines from the group stage, Argentina, France, and co-hosts Mexico all finished with a perfect nine points from nine, sending an early statement to the rest of the field. However, teams like Germany, Brazil, and Spain also enter the knockout rounds as serious threats, each having shown that they can also be called title contenders.
The race for the third-place spots produced some of the tournament’s most dramatic storylines. Ecuador, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Paraguay were among the first to punch their tickets, while Senegal, Ghana, Argelia, and DR Congo held their nerve in the closing matchday to round out the group of eight survivors.
Every team in the Round of 32!#FIFAWorldCup #Qualified | @Mcdonalds pic.twitter.com/I93Rzj0H3k— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 28, 2026
2026 World Cup knockout stage bracket
With every group finalized, here is the complete schedule for the Round of 32, running from June 28 to July 3:
Sunday, June 28
South Africa vs Canada — Los Angeles Stadium
Monday, June 29
Germany vs Paraguay — Boston StadiumNetherlands vs Morocco — Monterrey StadiumBrazil vs Japan — Houston Stadium
Tuesday, June 30
France vs Sweden — New York New Jersey StadiumIvory Coast vs Norway — Dallas StadiumMexico vs Ecuador — Mexico City Stadium
Wednesday, July 1
England vs DR Congo — Atlanta StadiumUSA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina — San Francisco Bay Area StadiumBelgium vs Senegal — Seattle Stadium
Thursday, July 2
Portugal vs Croatia — Toronto StadiumSpain vs Austria — Los Angeles StadiumSwitzerland vs Algeria — Vancouver Stadium
Friday, July 3
Argentina vs Cape Verde — Miami StadiumColombia vs Ghana — Kansas City StadiumAustralia vs Egypt — Dallas Stadium