The USMNT, Brazil, Canada and Netherlands already know their opponents in the last 32.

Here's everything to know about how the seeding and bracket work for the World Cup's new, expanded 32-team knockout stage.

The 2026 World Cup has arrived. Mexico and South Africa will kick off the tournament on Thursday afternoon following Mexico's opening ceremony.

Spain legend Iker Casillas has suggested a change in the FIFA World Cup format. He stated that the tournament needs to have 64 teams because he disagrees with the best-third-placed team concept.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, returning to North America, will feature a new format with 48 teams, up from 32.

For the 2026 World Cup's group stage, the tournament's 48 teams were split into 12, four-team groups. Each team will play its groupmates once and will earn three points in the group standings for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.

Every four years, the planet stops to watch one tournament. Offices empty out, entire countries paint themselves in their national colors, and a single match can bring billions of people to the same screen at the same moment.

The biggest FIFA World Cup to date, with a record 48 teams set to play a record 104 matches spread out across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, begins June 11. The three host nations a

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to begin on Thursday, what can new fans tuning into the biggest event of the sport expect? This year's edition expands to 48 teams for the first time in tournament history,

FIFA altered its rules after that tournament to prevent any advantage the final teams may have over their other rivals. Starting in 1986, the final matches in the same group happened simultaneously. The top two teams from each group will automatically advance to the knockout stage.

With the brand-new 48-team format, the race for a ticket to the next round is wilder than ever—every single point is gold if you want to keep your World Cup dream alive.