Knockout bracket — five rounds, twenty-two days
The 48-team format adds a Round of 32 above the traditional last-16 — five rounds of win-or-go-home football across 22 days, ending at MetLife Stadium on Sunday 19 July 2026.
Slots fill in as the group stage decides who advances: top 2 from each of the 12 groups plus the 8 best third-place finishers. Until then, every match shows its venue and kickoff so you can plan around it.
Loading bracket…
Who lifts the trophy on 19 July?
Pre-tournament champion pick. Save yours, see whether the Onside engine agrees, then come back during the knockout for the full pick-the-bracket widget once teams populate.
How 32 teams become one
Each band's width is the number of teams still alive entering that round. The flow ribbons taper as half the field exits at each stage — the visual encoding of survival.
47 eliminations across 39 days
Width scales with surviving teams (sqrt scaling so the Final stays readable). The taper between stages is the elimination event — 16 teams gone at the group cut, 16 more at the R32, and so on.
Round of 32 (matches 73–88)
First knockout round — new to the 48-team format.
Round of 16 (matches 89–96)
Traditional last 16. The tournament starts feeling fragile here.
Quarter-finals (matches 97–100)
4 matches. Win and a country plans a parade.
Semi-finals (matches 101–102)
2 matches. 90 minutes plus extra time plus penalties from the unbearable.
The match nobody wants to play but most fans secretly enjoy.
Sunday 19 July
The largest US-hosted final in FIFA history — MetLife Stadium, NJ. 82,500 capacity. Kickoff 19:00 UTC · MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Dates and venues from FIFA's announced schedule. Team identities fill in as the group stage decides — top 2 from each group plus the 8 best third-place finishers advance.32 knockout matches total.
Knockout-stage common questions
How does the 48-team World Cup 2026 knockout work?›
The 48-team format adds a Round of 32 above the traditional Round of 16. Top two from each of the 12 groups (24 teams) plus the 8 best third-placed finishers across groups (8 teams) advance to the R32. Then R32 → R16 → QF → SF → Final, five rounds over 22 days from 28 June to the 19 July final at MetLife Stadium.
When does the World Cup 2026 knockout stage start?›
The Round of 32 begins on 28 June 2026 and runs through 3 July. Round of 16 from 4–7 July, quarter-finals 9–12 July, semi-finals 14–15 July, third-place playoff 18 July, and the final on Sunday 19 July at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Who does the model favour to reach the World Cup 2026 final?›
Per the 10,000-run simulator, the most likely finalists are France (20.7% to reach the final), Spain (19.7%), England (19.1%), Argentina (16.6%), and Portugal (14.3%). See the simulator page for full round-by-round probabilities.
Which teams are favourites to win each knockout round?›
For the R16, eight teams have above 65% probability of advancing: France, Spain, England, Argentina, Portugal, Netherlands, Brazil, Belgium. For the QF, the top eight by probability are the same set in roughly the same order. The simulator page shows live numbers.
Where is the World Cup 2026 final being played?›
The final is at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday 19 July 2026 at 19:00 UTC (15:00 ET). The third-place playoff is at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, on 18 July.
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