Group Stage

12 groups of 4 teams each. The top two from every group advance to the knockout round of 32. The eight best third-placed teams also qualify.

Advances to knockout round

Possible qualification (best 3rd)

Group A

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Mexico	3	3	0	0	6	0	+6	9
South Africa	3	1	1	1	2	3	-1	4
Korea	3	1	0	2	2	3	-1	3
Czech Republic	3	0	1	2	2	6	-4	1

Group B

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Switzerland	3	2	1	0	7	3	+4	7
Canada	3	1	1	1	8	3	+5	4
Bosnia	3	1	1	1	5	6	-1	4
Qatar	3	0	1	2	2	10	-8	1

Group C

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil	3	2	1	0	7	1	+6	7
Morocco	3	2	1	0	6	3	+3	7
Scotland	3	1	0	2	1	4	-3	3
Haiti	3	0	0	3	2	8	-6	0

Group D

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
USA	3	2	0	1	8	4	+4	6
Australia	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
Paraguay	3	1	1	1	2	4	-2	4
Turkey	3	1	0	2	3	5	-2	3

Group E

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Germany	3	2	0	1	10	4	+6	6
Ivory Coast	3	2	0	1	4	2	+2	6
Ecuador	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
Curacao	3	0	1	2	1	9	-8	1

Group F

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Netherlands	3	2	1	0	10	4	+6	7
Japan	3	1	2	0	7	3	+4	5
Sweden	3	1	1	1	7	7	0	4
Tunisia	3	0	0	3	2	12	-10	0

Group G

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Belgium	3	1	2	0	6	2	+4	5
Egypt	3	1	2	0	5	3	+2	5
Iran	3	0	3	0	3	3	0	3
New Zealand	3	0	1	2	4	10	-6	1

Group H

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Spain	3	2	1	0	5	0	+5	7
Cape Verde	3	0	3	0	2	2	0	3
Uruguay	3	0	2	1	3	4	-1	2
Saudi Arabia	3	0	2	1	1	5	-4	2

Group I

Team	P	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
France	3	3	0	10	2	+8	9
Norway	3	2	1	8	7	+1	6
Senegal	3	1	2	8	6	+2	3
Iraq	3	0	3	1	12	-11	0

Group J

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Argentina	3	3	0	0	8	1	+7	9
Austria	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
Algeria	3	1	1	1	5	7	-2	4
Jordan	3	0	0	3	3	8	-5	0

Group K

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Colombia	3	2	1	0	4	1	+3	7
Portugal	3	1	2	0	6	1	+5	5
DR Congo	3	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4
Uzbekistan	3	0	0	3	2	11	-9	0

Group L

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
England	3	2	1	0	6	2	+4	7
Croatia	3	2	0	1	5	5	0	6
Ghana	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
Panama	3	0	0	3	0	4	-4	0

Understanding the World Cup 2026 Group Stage

The 2026 World Cup group stage features 12 groups of 4 teams each. The top 2 teams from every group qualify automatically for the knockout round, along with the 8 best third-place finishers. With 48 teams competing, the group stage consists of 48 matches played from June 11 to June 26, 2026.