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The biggest FIFA World Cup in history delivered on intrigue during the group stage, but it's now time for the real fun to begin with the Round of 32 knockouts nearly set.
We at Sporting News have soccer fans covered with our 2026 World Cup bracket — or wallchart, as it's known in some parts of the world — in printable, PDF form, complete with the full field of 32 on Saturday. Download it, print it out, hang it on your wall.
This year's knockout matches begin June 28 with the Round of 32 running until July 3. The expanded World Cup finally reaches the Round of 16 on July 4-July 7 followed by the quarterfinal (July 9-11) and semifinal (July 14-15) matches. It all culminates with the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium.
In addition to the printable bracket below, you'll also find tips and tools to help you fill it out, including picks and analysis from TSN's expert writers.
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Printable World Cup bracket 2026
Download Sporting News' printable World Cup bracket (PDF) by clicking here.
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World Cup teams to qualify for Round of 32
Below are the teams that have already clinched a spot in the 2026 World Cup knockout stage, sorted by group. This table will be updated throughout the remained of the group stage.
| Group A | A1: Mexico | A2: South Africa | A3: |
| Group B | B1: Switzerland | B2: Canada | B3: Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| Group C | C1: Brazil | C2: Morocco | C3: |
| Group D | D1: United States | D2: Australia | D3: |
| Group E | E1: Germany | E2: Ivory Coast | E3: Ecuador |
| Group F | F1: Netherlands | F2: Japan | F3: Sweden |
| Group G | G1: | G2: | G3: |
| Group H | H1: | H2: | H3: |
| Group I | I1: | I2: | I3: |
| Group J | J1: Argentina | J2: | J3: |
| Group K | K1: | K2: | K3: |
| Group L | L1: | L2: | L3: |
WORLD CUP GROUP STANDINGS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
When does the Round of 32 start?
- Dates: June 28-July 3
The first knockout match of the 2026 World Cup is set for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 28 with South Africa vs. Canada. There's a short turnaround from Saturday's final group games, when the Round of 32 bracket will be finalized.
How to fill out a World Cup bracket
- Your bracket will consist of 32 teams. The 12 group winners and 12 runners-up are given the most favorable placements with pathways that were determined during December's draw.
- The remaining eight teams are sorted based on FIFA's new third-place standings formula based on performance during group play.
- Pick which team you expect to win the Round of 32 and have them advance to the Round of 16 by writing their name on the ensuing matchup line.
- From there, repeat the process until you have predicted the entire tournament throughout the Round of 32, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and the World Cup final.
How does a World Cup bracket work?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has two phases: the group stage and the knockout stage.
Thirty-two of the 48 teams will reach the knockout stage. All teams that finish first or second in their group secure automatic qualification, accounting for 24 of the 32 knockout participants.
The remaining eight spots go to the best third-place finishers.
How third place qualifiers work
All 12 third-place finishers are sorted into a table just like the groups based on their points gained in group stage play and other metrics such as goal differential.
The top eight teams in this table will advance to the knockout round.
Knockout stage seeding
The entirety of the knockout stage bracket is predetermined. For example, the winner of Group F will face the runner-up from Group C, while the winner of Group J will face the runner-up from Group H.
All group winners are paired against either a runner-up from another group, or a third-place finisher from another group. All group winners and runners-up from the same group are placed on opposite sides of the bracket to avoid rematches until the finals.
The only unknowns at the start of the tournament are where each potential third-place finisher will end up. Until all qualifiers are known, it is impossible to predict where or when they could potentially play should this come to pass.
There are 495 mathematical combinations of third place qualifiers from various groups. All of these have been spelled out in advance, and every potential outcome can be found in Annex C (pg. 80) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup regulations. Whichever combination comes to pass will determine where each third-place finisher falls in the overall bracket.
World Cup knockout schedule 2026
Round of 32
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Sun., June 28 | 73 | South Africa v Canada |
| Mon., June 29 | 74 | Germany v Group A/B/C/D/F third place |
| 75 | Netherlands v Morocco | |
| 76 | Brazil v Japan | |
| Tues., June 30 | 77 | Group I winners v Group C/D/F/G/H third place |
| 78 | Group E runners-up v Group I runners-up | |
| 79 | Mexico v Group C/E/F/H/I third place | |
| Wed., July 1 | 80 | Group L winners v Group E/H/I/J/K third place |
| 81 | USA v Bosnia-Herzegovina | |
| 82 | Group G winners v Group A/E/H/I/J third place | |
| Thurs., July 2 | 83 | Group K runners-up v Group L runners-up |
| 84 | Group H winners v Group J runners-up | |
| 85 | Switzerland v Group E/F/G/I/J third place | |
| Fri., July 3 | 86 | Argentina v Group H runners-up |
| 87 | Group K winners v Group D/E/I/J/L third place | |
| 88 | Australia v Group G runners-up |
Round of 16
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Sat., July 4 | 89 | Winner match 74 v Winner match 77 |
| 90 | Winner match 73 v Winner match 75 | |
| Sun., July 5 | 91 | Winner match 76 v Winner match 78 |
| 92 | Winner match 79 v Winner match 80 | |
| Mon., July 6 | 93 | Winner match 83 v Winner match 84 |
| 94 | Winner match 81 v Winner match 82 | |
| Tue., July 7 | 95 | Winner match 86 v Winner match 88 |
| 96 | Winner match 85 v Winner match 87 |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Thurs., July 9 | 97 | Winner match 89 v Winner match 90 |
| Fri. July 10 | 98 | Winner match 93 v Winner match 94 |
| Sat., July 11 | 99 | Winner match 91 v Winner match 92 |
| 100 | Winner match 95 v Winner match 96 |
Semifinals
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Tue., July 12 | 101 | Winner match 97 v Winner match 98 |
| Wed. July 13 | 102 | Winner match 99 v Winner match 100 |
Third-place
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Sat., July 18 | 103 | Runner-up match 101 v Runner-up match 102 |
Final
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Sun., July 19 | 104 | Winner match 101 v Winner match 102 |
SN's Kyle Bonn contrbuted to this article.
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