(yahoo!) As Matchday 2 continues in the 2026 World Cup, the Round of 32 picture is beginning to take shape.
Two of the tournament’s three co-hosts, the United States and Mexico, have already clinched their respective groups and will advance to the knockout stage. Canada has picked up four points through their first two matches and face Switzerland on Wednesday, which will decide the Group B winner.
There will be 32 teams advancing to the knockout round following the group stage. The top two teams from each group will advance along with the eight best third-place teams.
World Cup schedule | Group schedule, results | Standings
According to FIFA, here is how any ties will be broken:
Step 1: greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned; superior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned; greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned
If no decision can be made through this procedure, the criteria below shall apply as follows to the two or more teams still equal on points:
Step 2: superior goal difference in all group matches; greatest number of goals scored in all group matches; highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained
If no decision can be made through the procedures of step one and two above, the following shall apply:
Step 3: the two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA/Coca‑Cola Men’s World Ranking
Teams qualified for the Round of 32: United States, Mexico
The U.S. beat Paraguay and Australia to take Group D with one match (against Türkiye) to spare. They are locked into a July 1 knockout stage date against the third-place team from either Group B, E, F, I or J at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Mexico posted clean sheets against South Africa and South Korea to win Group A. They will remain in Mexico and take on a third-place team from Group C, E, F, H, or I on June 30 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Teams eliminated: Haiti, Türkiye
In their first World Cup since 1974, Haiti continue to seek their first-ever win in the competition. They dropped their opening match to Scotland and were shutout for a second straight game against Brazil. They will finish their tournament on Wednesday against Morocco.
Thought to be a contender for the Group D title, Türkiye has crashed out of the tournament after two defeats to Australia and Paraguay. After placing third in 2002, their last time at the World Cup, Türkiye will face group winners the U.S. on Thursday in Los Angeles.
How FIFA’s new World Cup knockout bracket works
For this World Cup, FIFA has made tweaks to the knockout stage. In the pursuit of competitive balance, two pathways have been created to the semifinals that will prevent the two highest-ranking teams from meeting before the final should they win their respective groups. As an example, Spain is the highest-ranked team in the tournament, with defending champion Argentina ranked second. Those two nations were drawn into opposite pathways. It is the same for France (No. 3) and England (No. 4), so the top four teams, should they win their groups, will not meet until the semifinals.
