What You Need To Know About The FIFA World Cup 2026
World Cup 2026 groups: How teams qualify and tie-breakers
The 48 qualified nations have been drawn into 12 groups of four. Find out who they will play, how teams qualify for the knockout round and what the tie-breakers are.
The stage is set. The full list of 48 teams who will compete in the FIFA World Cup 2026 is now confirmed and the 12 groups are complete for the global showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The 104-game tournament kicks off on Thursday, 11 June as co-hosts Mexico tackle South Africa at Mexico City Stadium, and will conclude on Sunday, 19 July with the World Cup Final in New York New Jersey.
Every team will face each of their group opponents once, with three points awarded for a win and one apiece for a draw. The two teams with the most points in each group will progress to the Round of 32, where they will be joined by the eight best third-placed sides. Tap to view the full group stage fixture list and knockout stage match schedule.
If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the completion of the group stage, the following criteria, in the order below, shall be applied to determine the ranking:
Step one
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 two
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 three
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 .How the eight best‑ranked teams finishing third are decided
The eight best teams among those ranked third will be determined as follows:
greatest number of points obtained in all group matches
goal difference resulting from 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 in all group matches
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
