The battle for places in the knockout stage of the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup is becoming clearer as the tournament’s group phase approaches its final stretch.
In a historic first, the competition features 48 participating nations. Under the revamped format, the teams are divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two sides in each group earning automatic qualification for the round of 32. They will be joined by the eight highest-ranked third-placed finishers.
Although many countries are still battling to keep their World Cup hopes alive, a number of teams have already booked their places in the next round.
Among those safely through are defending champions Argentina, African powerhouse Morocco, and surprise contenders South Africa, highlighting some of the competition’s standout stories so far.
Teams that have qualified for the round of 32
1. Argentina
The reigning world champions wasted little time in confirming their place in the knockout stage. Lionel Messi continued to add to his remarkable legacy as Argentina followed up a 3-0 opening victory over Algeria with another convincing performance against Austria.
Their impressive displays have reinforced their status as one of the leading contenders for the title.
2. Brazil
Brazil have once again demonstrated the consistency that has defined their World Cup history.
After being held to a draw by Morocco in their opening fixture, the five-time champions responded with victories over Haiti and Scotland to secure qualification.
The achievement marks Brazil’s 15th straight World Cup campaign in which they have successfully advanced beyond the group stage, extending their tournament record.
3. France
France have produced a commanding start to the tournament, with Kylian Mbappe leading the charge in front of goal.
According to FIFA, the 2018 champions opened their campaign with a win over Senegal before easing past Iraq to seal their progression into the knockout rounds. Mbappe has also established himself as one of the frontrunners in the race for the Golden Boot.
4. Germany
Germany had to rely on late inspiration to book their place in the next phase. After thrashing Curaçao 7-1, the Germans needed two goals from substitute Deniz Undav to defeat Ivory Coast and confirm qualification from Group E.
5. United States
The co-host nation has rewarded its fans with an impressive group-stage campaign. Even without Christian Pulisic, the United States built on their dominant victory over Paraguay by defeating Australia, ensuring their place in the round of 32.
6. Mexico
Mexico became the first country to officially secure a place in the knockout stage. Their narrow win over South Korea guaranteed qualification after an earlier victory against South Africa.
El Tri later rounded off a flawless group-stage campaign by defeating Czechia and will benefit from home support in the next round.
7. Morocco
Morocco have continued their impressive rise among the world’s top footballing nations. Following a draw with Brazil, the Atlas Lions claimed victories over Scotland and Haiti to maintain their unbeaten run in World Cup group-stage matches.
The 2022 semi-finalists have once again shown they possess the quality to challenge the tournament’s strongest teams.
8. Norway
Erling Haaland has played a key role in Norway’s impressive return to the World Cup spotlight. After comfortably overcoming Iraq, the Scandinavian nation secured qualification with another victory against Senegal. Haaland’s goals have been instrumental throughout their campaign.
9. Colombia
Colombia confirmed their place in the knockout rounds with a disciplined win over DR Congo. Having also defeated Uzbekistan earlier in the competition, the South Americans have quietly established themselves as one of the tournament’s most well-organised sides.
10. Switzerland
Switzerland have once again lived up to their reputation as dependable performers on the international stage.
According to Opta, this is their fourth consecutive qualification for the second round. After beginning with a draw, they followed up with victories that secured first place in Group B.
11. Canada
The co-hosts have reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in the modern era. According to Opta, Canada also became the first host nation since 1994 to progress beyond the group stage with as few as four points.
They bounced back from an opening draw before producing a stunning 6-0 victory over Qatar to put themselves in a commanding position.
12. South Africa
South Africa have emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest success stories. Bafana Bafana recovered from an opening defeat to Mexico by earning a draw against Czechia before pulling off a memorable victory over South Korea to qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history.
13. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia-Herzegovina secured a place in the last 32 on Wednesday after FIFA confirmed they had qualified as one of the eight best third-placed teams in the expanded 48-team tournament.
They had earlier defeated Qatar 3-1 in their final Group B match in Seattle to finish third on four points behind Switzerland and Canada. However, they had to wait for results from other groups before their qualification was officially confirmed.
