The third and final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage kicks off on Wednesday, with plenty of places in the Round of 32 still up for grabs.
Mexico, the United States, Germany, France, Norway and Argentina are the only teams to have qualified for the knockout stage, which starts on June 28.
With the tournament expanded from 32 to 48 teams, the top two sides from each of the twelve groups will qualify automatically, while the eight best third-placed teams will also advance to the Round of 32, keeping the hopes of qualification alive for several countries heading into the final group matches.
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Here are the qualifying scenarios for each team advancing to the final round of the group stage:
GROUP A (Remaining matches – Czech Republic vs Mexico, South Korea vs South Africa)
Mexico became the first team in the tournament to seal its passage to the round of 32 with six points. South Korea can seal its place in the last 32 with a win. A draw will also be enough for the Asian country, because it has the head-to-head advantage over the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic will need a win against Mexico and hope South Africa beats South Korea to reach the top two. The Czech Republic will still remain in the fight even if Korea’s result is not to their liking. If the Czech Republic draws or loses its final match and South Africa succumbs to Korea, the country will still finish in third place but have a minimal chance of finishing in the top eight.
South Africa can qualify if it beats South Korea in the final and Mexico beats the Czech Republic. The mutual victory over Korea takes the country directly to second place in the rankings. In the event of a draw for both teams, they will be dependent on wildcards in third place.
GROUP B (Remaining matches – Switzerland vs Canada, Bosnia vs Qatar)
Both Switzerland and Canada now have four points after two games and appear to be in an excellent position to qualify from the group. The two sides will play each other on June 24 in Vancouver to decide who tops the group. In the event of a draw between the two, they will both advance to the Round of 32.
The loser of the encounter will finish on four points and could end up level on points with the third-placed team, with the head-to-head record then coming into play if Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Qatar’s elimination.
If the match between Bosnia and Qatar ends in a draw, the former will have to hope it doesn’t end up among the four worst third-placed teams.
GROUP C (Remaining matches – Brazil vs Scotland, Morocco vs Haiti)
As things stand, Brazil and Morocco are the frontrunners to secure direct qualification.
The two teams will be the overwhelming favorites against their respective opponents. Morocco will look to improve their goal difference against Haiti, the lowest ranked team this World Cup, in the hope of qualifying as group winners.
Brazil needs at least a draw to secure the top two. Scotland will most likely finish in third place and will be hoping to get into the top eight third-placed teams. It is better positioned if it finishes with four points.
GROUP D (Remaining matches – USA vs Turkiye, Australia vs Paraguay)
With the US qualifying as group winners and Turkiye already eliminated, the battle for second place will be between Australia and Paraguay.
The two sides will face each other on June 25 in Los Angeles in a direct showdown for second place. Australia can seal second place with a draw due to the higher goal difference.
With three points in their pocket, Paraguay will be reasonably confident of reaching the knockout rounds as one of the top eight third-placed teams, regardless of the result in the final match.
GROUP E (Remaining matches – Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast, Ecuador vs. Germany)
Curaçao’s hard-fought draw against Ecuador resulted in the first point at the World Cup. The team is still at the bottom of the rankings, but can climb up with a favorable result in the next match against Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast needs a solitary point in that encounter to qualify for the next phase as the second-placed team.
Ecuador will have to beat Germany and hope Ivory Coast loses to Curacao to move up to second place, thanks to a better goal difference compared to the small island nation. If Ecuador only draws or loses its last match, it will need Ivory Coast to beat Curacao to finish third.
GROUP F (Remaining matches – Netherlands vs Tunisia, Japan vs Sweden)
The Netherlands and Japan are tied on four points, with the former leading the standings due to more goals scored. Both can book their place in the round of 32 if they can avoid defeat.
Meanwhile, Sweden can qualify if it manages to beat Japan, but will also be in a good position to progress to the next stage as one of the top eight third-placed teams if it can avoid defeat.
Tunisia is excluded from qualifying for the round of 16.
GROUP G (Remaining matches – Egypt vs Iran, Belgium vs Croatia)
Egypt can seal qualification with a point against Iran in the final match of Group G. A defeat followed by a victory for Belgium against New Zealand could push the country to third place, but that could be enough to progress as one of the top eight teams in third place.
Iran can qualify with a win over Egypt if Belgium drops points against New Zealand. If Belgium also wins, the team that finishes higher will be decided on the basis of goal difference.
New Zealand will have to beat Belgium in their final match to have a chance of qualifying for the round of 16.
GROUP H (Remaining matches – Spain vs Uruguay, Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia)
Spain are well positioned to qualify after gaining four points from two matches. Even a defeat in the final group stage match could be enough for Spain to progress, possibly as one of the best third-placed teams.
Uruguay can qualify alongside Spain with a draw in the final match, provided Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia also draw. In the event of a defeat, Uruguay would be dependent on other results.
Cape Verde will qualify if it beats Saudi Arabia and Uruguay fails to beat Spain. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, must beat Cape Verde and hope that Uruguay does not take all three points against Spain.
GROUP I (Remaining matches – France vs Norway, Senegal vs Iraq)
France and Norway have already confirmed their passage to the 32nd round.
Senegal and Iraq will be involved in a direct firefight to finish in third place. With their respective goal difference taking a big hit, both will have to aim for a big win to qualify in third place.
GROUP J (Remaining matches – Argentina vs Jordan, Algeria vs Austria)
Argentina has six points after two rounds and has already qualified for the next stage.
Algeria will take on Austria in the final match, and a win for both sides will take them to six points and help them qualify as the second-placed team.
If the match ends in a draw, Austria advances due to a better goal difference. Jordan is out of the competition.
GROUP K (Remaining matches – Portugal vs Colombia, Uzbekistan vs DR Congo)
A victory for Portugal would ensure that it finishes as group top. A draw would see Colombia top the group and Portugal in second place. Portugal could finish second even if they lose, thanks to their healthy goal difference.
Even if Portugal loses badly and drops to third place, it would likely qualify as one of the top eight third-place teams as it already has four points in the bag.
For DR Congo, anything less than a victory would not be enough. To finish second in the group, they would have to beat Uzbekistan by a wide margin and hope for a big defeat for Portugal to take goal difference. Even a narrow win would likely be enough for DR Congo to qualify as one of the top third-placed teams.
For Uzbekistan the task is more difficult. Even with a win against Congo, the Asian team cannot finish higher than third place. With a poor goal difference in hand, Uzbekistan is unlikely to finish high in third place.
GROUP L (Remaining matches – England v Panama, Croatia v Ghana)
England and Ghana can seal their place in the next round with a draw in the final group match. A defeat could also be enough to advance as one of the third-place teams.
Croatia can push Ghana into second place if they win their head-to-head match. If anything less, the 2018 finalist will have to be among the top eight third-place teams to advance in the competition.
Panama has been eliminated.
Published on June 24, 2026
