The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage format, criteria and rules for qualification. Find out who’s in and who’s out. Published On 20 Jun 202620 Jun 2026The knockout bracket in the FIFA World Cup 2026 is starting to take shape.It begins with the round of 32, which runs from June 28 to July 3.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listWhat is the format and criteria for qualification, and which teams have progressed or been eliminated?What is the format of the World Cup knockouts?The top two teams in each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to knockouts.The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, introduced for the first time at a World Cup after the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams.Then comes the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and a playoff for third place. The final is on July 19.The stage-wise breakdown of the tournament’s schedule is:
Group stage: June 11 to June 27
Round of 32: June 28 to July 3
Round of 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 9-11
Semifinals: July 14-15
Bronze medal match: July 18
Final: July 19
What are the rules change for the tie-breaker criteria at the 2026 World Cup?Fifa is using head-to-head records instead of goal difference as the primary tiebreaker for teams level on points for the first time at a World Cup.Haiti and Turkiye have been eliminated because they are unable to catch the third-placed teams in their respective groups because of they lost to those teams.Tie-breaker criteria for World Cup groupsAccording to FIFA’s rules for the tournament, if two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the group stage ends, the following criteria, in the order below, will be applied to determine the ranking: Advertisement Step one
Greatest number of points gained in the group matches.
Superior goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head).
Greatest nu …
