Four through as round of 32 takes shape

The 2026 World Cup has 48 teams instead of the previous 32. One result of expanding the field is an extra knockout round called the round of 32, which runs between the group stage and the more familiar round of 16. After two rounds of group matches on 21 June, four countries have already secured their places in the round of 32: Mexico, the United States, Germany, and Canada. All four finished top of their groups with enough points that the final round cannot drop them out. At the other end, three countries have been eliminated: Haiti, Turkey, and Tunisia all have zero points after two matches and cannot mathematically reach the round of 32. Saudi Arabia have also been eliminated in practice after losing 4-0 to Spain, the scoreline was initially reported as 1-0 but was corrected to 4-0. The round of 32 matches run from 28 June to 3 July, with the full bracket confirmed once all group matches end on 27 June.