An Interactive Field Guide

How the World Cup WorksUnited States · Canada · Mexico · 2026

Carry every match forward and see how a champion is crowned.

48Teams
12Groups
104Matches
16Venues

The tournament moves through six phases, each unlocking the next: the group stage, four knockout rounds, then the Final.

Phase I · Group Stage
Group Stage
Twelve groups of four · June 11–27
48→32
Phases II–V · Knockout Rounds
Round of 32
Phase II · June 28 – July 3
32→16
◆
Round of 16
Phase III · July 4 – 7
16→8
◆
Quarter-finals
Phase IV · July 9 – 11
8→4
◆
Semi-finals
Phase V · July 14 – 15
4→2
Phase VI · The Final
THE FINAL July 19 · 2 → 1
I
Each team gets three chances to advance

The Group Stage

Every team plays all three of its group games — no matter what. A win is worth three points, a draw one, a loss none. The top two of each group advance, plus the eight best third-place teams — 32 of 48 into the knockout round. The other sixteen go home: each group's bottom team, plus the four weakest of the twelve third-place teams.

Track it yourself. Each tile is one match, labelled by opponent. Tap to cycle Win → Draw → Loss — since a match is shared by both teams, setting it for one team fills in the other automatically. Points tally as you go, and the qualifiers flow into the bracket below.
Win · 3 Draw · 1 Loss · 0

The rules working underneath the bracket — how level teams are separated, and how cards and suspensions carry through the tournament.

Tiebreakers & third place
Teams level on points in a group — in order:
1Head-to-head points→ 2Head-to-head goal difference→ 3Head-to-head goals→ 4Goal difference, all games→ 5Goals scored, all games→ 6Disciplinary record→ 7FIFA ranking
The eight best third-place teams — from different groups, so no head-to-head:
1Points→ 2Goal difference→ 3Goals scored→ 4Disciplinary record→ 5FIFA ranking

New for 2026: head-to-head results between the level teams are checked first — a switch from past World Cups, which started with overall goal difference. Each list is applied top to bottom until the tie breaks.

Cards & Suspensions
Yellow Card
  • A caution — the player stays on the field.
  • Two yellows in one match become a red: sent off, team plays a man down, and a one-match ban.
  • Two yellows in separate matches (within the same stage) = automatic one-match suspension.
  • Single yellows are wiped twice — after the group stage and after the quarter-finals.
Red Card
  • Immediate ejection — the team finishes the match with 10, no substitute allowed.
  • Automatic minimum one-match ban, in any round.
  • Serious offenses (violent conduct, serious foul play, spitting) can draw multi-match bans from FIFA's committee.
  • New for 2026: covering the mouth, arm, or shirt while confronting an opponent — to conceal possible discriminatory abuse — is a straight red. Friendly exchanges are exempt; Paraguay's Miguel Almirón was the first ever sent off for it.
  • Also new for 2026: leaving the field in protest of a referee's decision is a straight red — for players and team officials alike.
  • VAR can now overturn a wrongful second-yellow sending-off.
II
Single-elimination · 32 teams → 16

Round of 32

Thirty-two teams, sixteen matches. The margin for error vanishes — a sudden-death coliseum where one defeat ends your tournament, and any game still level goes to extra time, then penalties.

Tap a team to pick the winner. Slots show placeholders — 1A (group winner), 2B (runner-up), 3rd (best third-place team) — that fill with the real teams as you finish the groups above.

Suspension Watch — who's out, who's one card away
Third-Place Play-off
Miami · July 18 · the two beaten semi-finalists
Play the semi-finals to set the third-place match.
VI
The championship match

The Final

One match for the title. The two semi-final winners meet at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. Level after 90 minutes means extra time, then penalties — and the 2026 World Cup champion is crowned.

THE FINAL
MetLife Stadium, New Jersey · July 19
Fill in the bracket above to reach the final.