The Knockout Stage

Round of 32 → Final · 28 June – 19 July 2026

The Final kicks off in

2026 brings the biggest knockout stage in World Cup history. With 48 teams, the top two from all 12 groups plus the eight best third-placed teams reach a brand-new Round of 32 — 32 single-elimination matches across 22 days, ending at the Final in New York / New Jersey on 19 July.

Rounds at a glance

Dates and venues are fixed; the matchups are set once the groups finish

32

Round of 32

Sun 28 Jun – Fri 3 Jul16 ties · USA · Mexico · Canada
16

Round of 16

Sat 4 Jul – Tue 7 Jul8 ties · USA · Mexico · Canada
8

Quarter-finals

Thu 9 Jul – Sat 11 Jul4 ties · all in the USA
4

Semi-finals

Tue 14 & Wed 15 JulArlington · Atlanta
3

Third place

Sat 18 JulHard Rock Stadium, Miami
1

🏆 Final

Sun 19 Jul · 8pm BSTNew York New Jersey Stadium
⚔️ A Battle of Britain on the cards?

Win their groups and the brackets collide: England (1L) and Scotland (1C) would be on course to meet in the quarter-final — Match 99, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Saturday 11 July. Finish as runners-up and a semi-final showdown becomes the possibility instead. Either way, only one can go through!

Potential routes to the Final

Assuming each nation tops its group — runner-up routes run through the other half of the draw

England
If England win Group LEngland's road 🦁
  1. Round of 32 · Match 80vs best 3rd-placed teamWed 1 Jul · Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
  2. Round of 16 · Match 92vs winner from Group A's tieSun 5 Jul · Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
  3. Quarter-final · Match 99⚔️ possible Scotland clashSat 11 Jul · Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
  4. Semi-final · Match 102last fourWed 15 Jul · Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
  5. Final · Match 104🏆 World Cup FinalSun 19 Jul · New York New Jersey Stadium
Scotland
If Scotland win Group CScotland's road 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
  1. Round of 32 · Match 76vs runner-up of Group FMon 29 Jun · NRG Stadium, Houston
  2. Round of 16 · Match 91vs winner from Group E/I's tieSun 5 Jul · New York New Jersey Stadium
  3. Quarter-final · Match 99⚔️ possible England clashSat 11 Jul · Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
  4. Semi-final · Match 102last fourWed 15 Jul · Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
  5. Final · Match 104🏆 World Cup FinalSun 19 Jul · New York New Jersey Stadium
How the bracket works

No two teams from the same group can meet in the Round of 32, and third-placed qualifiers always face a group winner. FIFA's preset bracket fixes every date and venue in advance — only the names are filled in once the group stage ends on 27 June.

← Fixtures & countdowns 🦁 England Squad 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland Squad