19 Teams Secure Round of 32 Spots as Race for Remaining 13 Intens

The group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is rapidly nearing its conclusion, with the knockout picture becoming clearer. Half of the tournament's 12 groups have completed their fixtures, confirming 19 teams for the Round of 32.
The remaining 13 knockout berths will be decided after the final round of group-stage matches, with 21 teams still in contention. The Round of 32 is scheduled to take place from June 28 to July 3.
Under the expanded World Cup format, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups qualify automatically for the knockout stage, along with the eight best third-placed teams.
As of Friday morning, Mexico and South Africa have advanced from Group A. Group B has produced three qualifiers—Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Brazil and Morocco have secured their places from Group C, while hosts the United States and Australia progressed from Group D. Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador have qualified from Group E, with the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden advancing from Group F.
Elsewhere, France and Norway have booked their Round of 32 spots from Group I, Argentina have progressed from Group J, and Colombia have qualified from Group K.
Meanwhile, eight teams have already been eliminated from the tournament at the group stage. They are Türkiye, Tunisia, Haiti, Panama, the Czech Republic, Qatar, Curaçao and Jordan.
The remaining six groups will determine the final 13 knockout qualifiers. Several teams remain in the hunt through the best third-placed ranking, including Paraguay, Scotland and South Korea, ensuring a tense finish to the group stage before the knockout rounds begin.

MMR