The expanded 2026 World Cup will be the biggest in history featuring 48 countries – up from 32 – battling for soccer’s ultimate prize in North America.
There are 12 groups of four teams, with each playing the others once in a round-robin. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw, with the top two teams advancing directly to the knockout stage. In the World Cup’s new format, eight of the 12 group third-place winners also move on to the Round of 32.
The field is then whittled down again for the Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals – with the World Cup final set for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Here’s the path to the World Cup final in 2026:
2026 FIFA World Cup bracket
Round of 32
Match 73: Runner-up Group A vs Runner-up Group B – Los Angeles
Match 74: Winner Group E vs Best 3rd place Group A/B/C/D/F – Boston
Match 75: Winner Group F vs Runner-up Group C – Guadalupe, Mexico
Match 76: Winner Group C vs Runner-up Group F – Houston
Match 77: Winner Group I vs Best 3rd place Group C/D/F/G/H – New York-New Jersey
Match 78: Runner-up Group E vs Runner-up Group I – Dallas
Match 79: Winner Group A vs Best 3rd place Group C/E/F/H/I – Mexico City
Match 80: Winner Group L vs Best 3rd place Group E/H/I/J/K – Atlanta
Match 81: Winner Group D vs Best 3rd place Group B/E/F/I/J – San Francisco-Bay Area
Match 82: Winner Group G vs Best 3rd place Group A/E/H/I/J – Seattle
Match 83: Runner-up Group K vs Runner-up Group L – Toronto
Match 84: Winner Group H vs Runner-up Group J – Los Angeles
Match 85: Winner Group B vs Best 3rd place Group E/F/G/I/J – Vancouver
Match 86: Winner Group J vs Runner-up Group H – Miami
Match 87: Winner Group K vs Best 3rd place Group D/E/I/J/L – Kansas City
Match 88: Runner-up Group D vs Runner-up Group G – Dallas
Round of 16
Match 74 winner vs. Match 77 winner – Philadelphia: Match 89
Match 73 winner vs. Match 75 winner – Houston: Match 90
Match 76 winner vs. Match 78 winner – New York-New Jersey: Match 91
Match 79 winner vs. Match 80 winner – Mexico City: Match 92
March 83 winner vs. Match 84 winner – Dallas: Match 93
Match 81 winner vs. Match 82 winner – Seattle: Match 94
Match 86 winner vs. Match 88 winner – Atlanta: Match 95
Match 85 winner vs. Match 87 winner – Vancouver: Match 96
Quarterfinals
Match 89 winner vs. Match 90 winner – Boston: Match 97
Match 93 winner vs. Match 94 winner – Los Angeles: Match 98
Match 91 winner vs March 92 winner – Miami: Match 99
Match 95 winner vs. Match 96 winner – Kansas City: Match 100
Semifinals
Winner 97 vs. Winner 98 – Dallas
Winner 99 vs. Winner 100 – Atlanta
Third place
July 18, 2026: Semifinal losers – Miami
2026 World Cup final
July 19, 2026: Semifinal winners at MetLife Stadium
2026 World Cup schedule
Group stage: June 11-June 27
Round of 32: June 28-July 3
Round of 16: July 4-July 7
Quarterfinals: July 9-July 11
Semifinals: July 14-15 – AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) and Mecedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Third-place match: July 18 – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
World Cup final: July 19 – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey