The 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is fast approaching. Here's what to know about the tournament's format.
What is the 2026 FIFA World Cup format?
The World Cup draw on Friday will separate 48 teams (and placeholders) into 12 groups of four teams each. Each team will play three games in the group stage, one against every team in its group.
The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, as in previous years. But the expansion of the tournament from 32 teams will create an additional round of knockout matches. Instead of 16 teams advancing to the first knockout round, as has been the case since 1998, there will be 32 making it out of the group stage.
That means not only will all 12 group winners and 12 second-placed teams advance, but also the eight best third-placed teams. The specific matchups for the round of 32 will depend on which groups the eight third-placed teams emerge from.
The knockout stage consists of a series of winner-take-all matches, all the way through to the final. If a match is tied after full time, 30 minutes of added extra time are played as two 15-minute halves, with a penalty shootout as the ultimate decider.
- How does the World Cup draw work?
What are the tiebreakers for the group stage?
If three or more teams finish equal on group-stage points, the following tiebreakers are applied in order.
1. Most points obtained in the group matches played between the teams concerned
2. Superior goal difference in the group matches played between the teams concerned
3. Most goals scored in the group matches played between the teams concerned
If any teams remain tied, the same tiebreakers are applied again, exclusively to the matches between those teams.
From there, ties are broken by the following criteria. These tiebreakers are also the first ones applicable to ties between just two teams.
4. Superior goal difference in all group matches
5. Most goals scored in all group matches
6. Highest team conduct ("fair play") score in all group matches
7. FIFA world ranking
- World Cup 2026 qualifying: Who has qualified, and how the rest can make it
How will the best third-placed teams be determined?
The third-placed teams in the group stage will be ranked by these criteria, in order:
1. Points
2. Goal difference
3. Goals scored
4. Team conduct score
5. FIFA world ranking
When will the full match schedule be finalized?
The full schedule, including each match's venue and kickoff time, will be confirmed at noon ET on Dec. 6, the day after the draw. This story will be updated with World Cup groups and the schedule once available.