World Cup 2026 Knockout Stage: France, Argentina, Norway Join USA, Mexico, Germany in Round of 32

The second matchday of the 2026 World Cup is underway, and the lineup for the knockout stage is starting to become clear. Two of the three host nations, United States and Mexico, have already secured their group victories and earned spots in the next round. Meanwhile, Canada has collected four points from two games and faces Switzerland to decide the top of Group B.

A total of 32 teams will move on from the group phase. This includes the top two teams from each group plus the eight best third-place finishers.

FIFA Tie-Break Rules for Group Stage

FIFA uses a multi-step process to break ties between teams with the same points:

• Step 1: Points in matches among tied teams, goal difference, then goals scored in those matches.
• Step 2: Overall goal difference, total goals scored, and team conduct score based on yellow/red cards.
• Step 3: FIFA World Ranking if previous criteria don’t separate teams.

Teams Locked Into the Round of 32

• United States: Won against Paraguay and Australia, topped Group D early, with a final group match against Türkiye pending. Their Round of 32 game is scheduled for July 1 at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, against a third-place finisher from Groups B, E, F, I, or J.
• Mexico: Kept clean sheets versus South Africa and South Korea to win Group A. They'll play a third-place team from Groups C, E, F, H, or I on June 30 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
• Germany: Secured Group E after wins over Curaçao and Ivory Coast, with a draw between Ecuador and Curaçao clinching the spot. Their next match is June 29 in Boston against a third-place finisher from Groups A, B, C, D, or F.
• Argentina: Victory over Austria guaranteed advancement. Algeria’s win against Jordan secured Group J’s top spot. Argentina faces Jordan before playing the Group H runner-up on July 3 in Miami.
• France and Norway: Both earned knockout round berths with wins over Iraq and Senegal, respectively. They share Group I, which is the first group with two advancing teams. Their upcoming group match in Boston will decide who tops the group and influence seeding.

Eliminated Teams

• Haiti: Returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, they lost their opener to Scotland and failed to score against Brazil, ending hopes before their last match versus Morocco.
• Türkiye: Expected to challenge for Group D but suffered defeats to Australia and Paraguay, leading to elimination. They face the U.S. on Thursday in Los Angeles.
• Tunisia: After a heavy 5-1 loss to Sweden, Tunisia fired their coach and brought in Hervé Renard. The change didn’t help; a 4-0 loss to Japan ended their tournament early.
• Jordan: Lost opening match to Austria and needed a result against Algeria to advance. Algeria’s victory confirmed Jordan's exit before facing defending champion Argentina.

How FIFA’s New Knockout Format Shapes the Path

This edition introduced changes to the knockout bracket designed to keep the highest-ranked teams apart until late in the competition. The draw splits top teams into two paths so that the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds cannot meet before the final if both win their groups. For example, Spain (highest-ranked) and defending champions Argentina (second-ranked) are on opposite routes. Likewise, France (third) and England (fourth) have separate paths, meaning the top four teams, if group winners, won’t clash until the semifinals.