The 2026 tournament expands to 48 teams, and the knockout stage is where that change is most visible: for the first time there is a Round of 32 before the Round of 16, which adds a full round and takes the tournament to 104 matches. This page shows that bracket and fills it in as places are decided.
Twelve groups of four produce the field. The top two in each group go through — that is 24 teams — and the remaining eight places go to the best third-placed teams measured across all twelve groups, ranked by goal difference, then goals scored, then fair play, then FIFA ranking. That last mechanism is why a third-placed side can still be alive while another third-placed side with the same points is out.
Where those eight thirds land is not a free draw. The bracket is fixed in advance and FIFA uses a combination table to slot the qualifying thirds into predetermined positions, so which group a third-placed team came from determines who it meets. It is the part of the format that surprises people most, and it is settled before the group stage ends.
From the Round of 32 onward every tie is a single match. There is no second leg and no away-goals rule; a draw after 90 minutes goes to extra time in every round, and then to penalties. The bracket above shows completed ties with their result and upcoming ties with whatever is known about who will contest them.