World Cup knockout set: 19 teams through, battles begin Monday
Following the completion of the final group matches on Friday morning (Nepal time), 19 teams out of 48 have already booked their places in the Round of 32.
KATHMANDU: As the group stage of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 nears its conclusion, the race for the knockout phase is becoming increasingly defined.
Following the completion of the final group matches on Friday morning (Nepal time), 19 teams out of 48 have already booked their places in the Round of 32.
From Group A, Mexico and South Africa advanced. Group B saw Switzerland, Canada, and Bosnia and Herzegovina move into the knockout stage.
In Group C, Brazil and Morocco secured qualification, while Group D featured United States and Australia progressing.
From Group E, Germany, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador advanced, while Group F confirmed spots for Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden.
In Group I, France and Norway moved forward. Group J saw Argentina qualify, while Group K completed its confirmed list with Colombia advancing.
With several groups still to conclude, remaining knockout fixtures are yet to be finalized.
So far, eight Round of 32 matchups have been confirmed, including South Africa vs Canada, Netherlands vs Morocco, United States vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Brazil vs Japan.
The Round of 32 stage is scheduled to begin on Monday, promising the start of the tournament’s most intense knockout battles.
What happens if knockout matches are tied?
Every knockout match must produce a winner on the same day, including the Round of 32, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place playoff, and the final.
If a match is level after 90 minutes of normal time, it goes into extra time, which lasts 30 minutes (two halves of 15 minutes each).
If the score is still tied after extra time, the result is decided by a penalty shootout, which determines which team advances to the next round or wins the match.
How Round of 32 matchups are decided
The Round of 32 fixtures are pre-arranged before the tournament begins. In general, group winners are paired against group runners-up, based on the tournament bracket structure.
How third-place teams qualify for the knockout stage
From the group stage, the best third-place teams also get a chance to qualify. All 12 third-placed teams are ranked in a separate table.
They are evaluated using the same points system as group standings, along with other performance factors such as goal difference.
The top eight third-place teams in this ranking secure a place in the knockout rounds.
Group stage tiebreakers (2026 World Cup rules)
If teams finish level on points in the group stage (3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss), the following criteria are used in order to separate them:
- Head-to-head points among the tied teams
- Head-to-head goal difference in matches between those teams
- Head-to-head goals scored in those matches
- Overall goal difference in all group games
- Total goals scored in all group games
- Fair play ranking (based on yellow and red cards received)
- FIFA ranking position (higher-ranked team gets the advantage)
If teams remain tied even after all these steps, the most recent FIFA ranking history may be used as an additional deciding factor.
