The third and final round of group stage matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will begin on Wednesday and a number of places still remain for the Round of 32. Till now, Germany, France, Norway, Argentina, Mexico and the United States have booked for their spot for the knockout stage. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams this year, the winners and runners-up from all 12 groups will qualify for the knockouts. Besides those 24 teams, eight best third-placed teams will also play in the Round of 32. Here’s the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 qualification scenarios for all 48 teams in the competition –
GROUP A
Mexico were the first team to book their spot in the Round of 32 with six points from 2 matches. South Korea won their first game against Czechia and a win or a draw against South Korea will be enough for them to qualify. Czechia will need to win their match against Mexico and hope that South Korea lose in order to finish in the Top 2. However, they can still qualify in case of a draw but the chances will be quite slim. For South Africa, a win over South Korea and Czechia losing to Mexico will take them directly to the second position. A draw will leave them in a tight position as they will need a lot of results to go their way.
Remaining matches – Czechia vs Mexico, South Korea vs South Africa
GROUP B
Switizerland and Canada are in prime position to finish in the Top 2 with 4 points. A draw in their match will send them both to the knockouts. However, the team losing the match will find themselves level on points with Bosnia and Herzegovina if they can beat Qatar. If Bosnia and Herzegovina play out a draw, their fate will no longer be in their own hands.
Remaining matches – Switzerland vs Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar)
GROUP C
Brazil and Morocco are clearly favourites to secure qualification with 4 points each. If both wins their respective matches, they will both qualify with Goal Difference determining the group winners. If Scotland beat Brazil and Morocco drop points, they can end up topping the group. However, if Scotland lose or draw, they will finish third and will have to depend on other results.
Remaining matches – Brazil vs Scotland, Morocco vs Haiti
GROUP D
USA have already reached the Round of 16 as the group winner and Turkiye were eliminated following their loss against Paraguay. The winner of the match between Australia and Paraguay will finish second in the group. In case of a draw, Australia will be second due to their higher goal difference. Even if they lose, Paraguay can qualify as the third-placed team.
Remaining matches – USA vs Turkiye, Australia vs Paraguay
GROUP E
Germany have already booked their place in the Round of 16 but Curacao’s draw against Ecuador made the qualification race quite interesting in Group E. A win over Ivory Coast can take them to the second position if Germany beat Ecuador. On the other hand, a draw will be enough for Ivory Coast to qualify. Ecaudor will have to beat Germany and hope that Ivory Coast lose to Curacao in order to move to the second spot. In that case, Ecuador will finish over Curacao thanks to goal difference.
Remaining matches – Curacao vs Ivory Coast, Ecuador vs Germany
GROUP F
Both Netherlands and Japan are tied at 4 points with the former claiming the top spot due to a better goal difference. Both will move to the Round of 32 with draws in their respective matches. Sweden can qualify if they beat Japan but in case of a draw, they will still be well-placed to move ahead as the third-placed team. Tunisia are already out of contention.
Remaining matches – Netherland vs Tunisia, Japan vs Sweden
GROUP G
Egypt are the front-runners with 4 points and a draw against Iran will be enough to guarantee qualification. However, a loss will take them to third position if Belgium defeat New Zealand. Iran can qualify with a win over Egypt and if Belgium win or draw against New Zealand. If both Belgium and Iran win, the standings will be decided by goal difference. New Zealand need to beat Belgium and hope that other results go their way in order to qualify.
Remaining matches – Belgium vs New Zealand, Egypt vs Iran
GROUP H
The big win over Saudi Arabia put Spain in a brilliant position and even a loss against Uruguay will be unlikely to eliminate them. Uruguay can qualify with a draw or win over Spain if Cape Verde draw or lose against Saudi Arabia. If Uruguay lose their match, Cape Verde can qualify with a win over Saudi Arabia. In order to have any chance of qualification, Saudi Arabia will have to beat Cape Verde and hope that Spain defeat Uruguay.
Remaining matches – Spain vs Uruguay, Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia
GROUP I
France and Norway have both qualified for the Round of 32. Their match will decide who will move forward as the group-winners. The winner of the match between Senegal and Iraq will claim the third place in the group.
Remaining matches – France vs Norway, Senegal vs Iraq
GROUP J
Argentina have already qualified for the Round of 32. The winner of the match between Algeria and Austria will qualify directly with 6 points. In case of a draw, Austria will qualify based on a better goal difference. Jordan were already eliminated.
Remaining matches – Argentina vs Jordan, Algeria vs Austria
GROUP K
Portugal need a win to top the group while a draw will see Colombia finish as the top-placed side with 7 points. Portugal could finish second even if it loses due to a higher goal difference. Even if Portugal falls to the third spot due to a heavy loss, it is likely that they will qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. DR Congo need a win to keep their hopes alive.
Remaining matches – Portugal vs Colombia, Uzbekistan vs DR Congo
GROUP L
England and Ghana need just a draw to book their spots in Round of 32. Even a loss will not eliminate either of them as they can qualify as one of the best third-placed sides. A win over Ghana will mean that Croatia will finish in the second spot. A draw or a loss will keep them in the third spot. Panama were already eliminated.
Remaining matches – England vs Panama, Croatia vs Ghana
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