The teams qualifying for the round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup and the qualification system | sports

The features of the elimination rounds in the 2026 FIFA World Cup are beginning to become clear little by little, with the start of the tournament in its expanded version with the participation of 48 teams. Al Jazeera Sports monitors the qualified teams, the new qualification system for the round of 32, and the tie-breaking rules.

Below we review the teams that have qualified for the round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup, clarifying the new qualification system for the knockout rounds, which is being applied for the first time in the history of the tournament, the first edition of which began in 1930.

Teams qualifying for the round of 32 in the World Cup

• Group A: Mexico, South Africa.
• Group Two: Switzerland, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Group Three: Brazil, Morocco.
• Group Four: United States, Australia.
• Group E: Germany, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador.
• Group Six: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden.
• Seventh group: –
• Eighth group: –
• Group Nine: France, Norway.
• Group Ten: Argentina
• Group 11: Colombia.
• Group 12: –

Qualification system for the round of 32 and the knockout rounds

After expanding the participation base in the World Cup to include 48 teams instead of 32, the round of 32 was created for the first time in the history of the tournament. The new system stipulates that the first and second-placed teams from the 12 groups will qualify, and the 8 best third-placed teams will join them, to complete the quorum for the knockout rounds.

The knockout stages range from determining the champion, and the tournament schedule is as follows:

• Group stage: from June 11 to June 27.
• Round of 32: from June 28 to July 3.
• Round of 16: from 4 to 7 July.
• Quarter-finals: July 9-11.
• Semi-finals: July 14 and 15.
• Bronze medal match (third place): July 18.
• Final match: July 19.

Direct confrontations… FIFA’s revolution in tie-breaking rules

In a historic change to the rules of the World Cup, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) decided to adopt “direct confrontation” records as the primary criterion for breaking ties between teams with equal points, instead of the “goal difference” rule that had previously prevailed.

If two or more teams are equal in points, the following criteria shall be used in order:

The first step (direct confrontations):

• The highest number of points earned in group matches.
• The best goal difference in group matches between the teams concerned.
• The highest number of goals scored in group matches between the respective teams.
• Step Two (General Performance and Behavior): If the tie continues, the following applies:
• Excellent goal difference in all group matches.
• The highest number of goals scored in all group matches.
• The highest score in the behavior of the team (players and team officials) based on yellow and red cards.

The third step (global classification):

If separation is not possible in any way, equal teams will be seeded according to the latest edition of the FIFA World Rankings.

• Criteria for ranking the top 8 teams that ranked third:
• The highest number of points earned in all group matches.
• The goal difference resulting from all group matches.
• The highest number of goals scored in all group matches.
• The highest score for the team’s behavior with regard to colored cards.
• FIFA classification of teams as a final decider.