The 2026 FIFA World Cup bracket is now 100% complete. All 48 teams are locked in. The full knockout path runs from the Round of 32 on June 28 to the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This page gives you every confirmed Round of 32 matchup, the bracket sides breakdown, today’s latest updates and a free printable PDF download.
The tournament covers 48 teams, 12 groups, 104 matches and 39 days. Spain and Argentina sit on opposite sides of the bracket. France and England are also kept apart. The top four can only meet in the semifinals or the final.
Quick Facts About the 2026 World Cup Bracket
| Total teams | 48 |
| Total groups | 12 |
| Total matches | 104 |
| New round added | Round of 32 |
| Matches to win the title | 8 |
| Tournament dates | June 11 to July 19, 2026 |
| Tournament length | 39 days |
| Final venue | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Host countries | USA, Canada, Mexico (16 host cities) |
2026 World Cup Bracket Today: Live Results & Match Tracker
Track every 2026 World Cup match as it happens. The bracket below updates automatically with live scores, full-time results, group standings, and the latest knockout path. Refresh the page to see the most recent data.
The tracker pulls real-time data straight from the official FIFA feed. Group standings update after every match. Once the group stage ends on June 27, the Round of 32 pairings lock in based on the eight best third-placed teams. From there, every win moves a team forward in the bracket, all the way to the final on July 19.
Predict every match with our FIFA World Cup 2026 Simulator.
Printable FIFA World Cup Bracket 2026 (Free PDF)
Download the full 2026 World Cup knockout bracket. Print it for your office pool, watch party, or fridge. Use it as a fillable bracket for your prediction contest, bracket challenge or watch party tracker to follow every match through the tournament. The bracket includes blank knockout slots from the Round of 32 to the final, plus the 3rd Place playoff.
Pick the size that fits your printer. US Letter (8.5 × 11″) is standard in the United States, Canada and Mexico. A4 (210 × 297 mm) is the standard size in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, India and most of the world. Both versions print the same bracket. If you use a different paper size, pick “Fit to Paper” in your printer settings.
How the 2026 World Cup Bracket Works
The bracket is final. The December 5, 2025 draw at the Kennedy Center set the 12 groups. The March 31, 2026 playoffs filled the last six spots, with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Türkiye and Czechia winning the four UEFA paths and DR Congo and Iraq taking the two intercontinental spots. Italy missed the World Cup for a third straight time.
The 2026 bracket adds a brand new knockout round. Twelve groups of four play 72 group stage matches. The top 2 teams from each group plus the 8 best third-placed teams advance, filling a 32-team knockout bracket. From there the path runs Round of 32 → Round of 16 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Final, with a third-place match before the final.
| Round | Dates | Matches | Venues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Stage | June 11 to 27 | 72 | All 16 host cities |
| Round of 32 | June 28 to July 3 | 16 | 12 venues |
| Round of 16 | July 4 to 7 | 8 | 8 venues |
| Quarterfinals | July 9 to 11 | 4 | 4 venues |
| Semifinals | July 14 to 15 | 2 | Dallas, Atlanta |
| Third-Place Match | July 18 | 1 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami |
| Final | July 19 | 1 | MetLife Stadium, NJ |
The champion will play 8 matches total. That is one more than every previous World Cup winner because of the new Round of 32.
Round of 32 Matchups: Full Pairings Map
The Round of 32 uses a fixed pairing pattern. Group winners face third-placed teams. Group runners-up face other runners-up. Teams from the same group cannot meet at this stage.
| Match | Date | Pairing | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | Sun, June 28 | 2A vs 2B | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood |
| 74 | Mon, June 29 | 1E vs 3A/B/C/D/F | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough |
| 75 | Mon, June 29 | 1F vs 2C | Estadio BBVA, Monterrey |
| 76 | Mon, June 29 | 1C vs 2F | NRG Stadium, Houston |
| 77 | Tue, June 30 | 1I vs 3C/D/F/G/H | MetLife Stadium, New Jersey |
| 78 | Tue, June 30 | 2E vs 2I | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
| 79 | Tue, June 30 | 1A vs 3C/E/F/H/I | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
| 80 | Wed, July 1 | 1L vs 3E/H/I/J/K | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
| 81 | Wed, July 1 | 1D vs 3B/E/F/I/J | Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara |
| 82 | Wed, July 1 | 1G vs 3A/E/H/I/J | Lumen Field, Seattle |
| 83 | Thu, July 2 | 2K vs 2L | BMO Field, Toronto |
| 84 | Thu, July 2 | 1H vs 2J | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood |
| 85 | Thu, July 2 | 1B vs 3E/F/G/I/J | BC Place, Vancouver |
| 86 | Fri, July 3 | 1J vs 2H | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami |
| 87 | Fri, July 3 | 1K vs 3D/E/I/J/L | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City |
| 88 | Fri, July 3 | 2D vs 2G | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
Reading the table: “1A” means the winner of Group A. “2A” means the runner-up of Group A. The cluster like “3C/E/F/H/I” lists the five possible groups whose third-place finisher could fill that slot, based on a FIFA-set rotation chart.
2026 World Cup Bracket Sides: Spain Half vs Argentina Half
FIFA split the bracket into two halves to keep the top four teams apart until the semifinals. If they all win their groups, Spain and Argentina cannot meet before the final. France and England are also kept on opposite paths.
Spain Half (feeds Semifinal 1 in Dallas, July 14):
| Group | Top Team | Notable Names |
|---|---|---|
| Group D | United States | Co-host, Pulisic, Balogun |
| Group E | Germany | Wirtz, Musiala |
| Group F | Netherlands | Memphis, De Jong |
| Group G | Belgium | De Bruyne, Lukaku |
| Group H | Spain | Euro 2024 champions, Lamine Yamal |
| Group I | France | World No. 1, Mbappé |
Argentina Half (feeds Semifinal 2 in Atlanta, July 15):
| Group | Top Team | Notable Names |
|---|---|---|
| Group A | Mexico | Co-host, opens the tournament |
| Group B | Canada | Co-host, opens vs Bosnia |
| Group C | Brazil | Carlo Ancelotti, Vinicius Jr |
| Group J | Argentina | Defending champions, Messi |
| Group K | Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Group L | England | Bellingham, Saka, Kane |
Why this matters for predictions: A Spain vs France quarterfinal or semifinal is possible since they share a half. The same goes for Argentina vs England. But Spain vs Argentina or France vs England can only happen in the final.
Tiebreaker Rules: How Teams Advance From the Group Stage
If two or more teams finish level on points, FIFA applies these tiebreakers in order:
- Head-to-head points (matches between the tied teams only)
- Head-to-head goal difference
- Head-to-head goals scored
- Goal difference across all group matches
- Goals scored across all group matches
- Fair play points (yellow and red cards)
- FIFA World Ranking
The 12 third-placed teams are ranked separately by points, then total goal difference, total goals scored, fair play, then FIFA ranking. Past data suggests 4 points is usually enough to advance as a third-placed team.
Favorites to Win the 2026 World Cup
France enter as the top-ranked team in the world after taking over No. 1 from Spain in the April 2026 FIFA rankings. Kylian Mbappé leads a deep squad that won the 2018 World Cup and finished as 2022 runners-up.
Spain sit second in the FIFA rankings. They won Euro 2024 and lost only one competitive match in the past two years. Lamine Yamal is 18 and the most-watched young player in the game.
Argentina defend the title and rank third in the world. Lionel Messi turns 39 during the tournament. A back-to-back win would be historic. No team has done that since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
Brazil arrive under Carlo Ancelotti, who took charge in May 2025. He is the first foreign coach in Brazil’s history.
England are co-favorites with Portugal. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham lead a settled squad. Cristiano Ronaldo plays his last World Cup at age 41.
The United States play all three group matches on home soil with Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun leading the attack.
Group of Death at the 2026 World Cup
Group I is the toughest group of the tournament. France, Senegal, Norway and Iraq make four serious teams in one bracket. France sit world No. 1 with Mbappé in his prime. Senegal are former AFCON champions and reached the Round of 16 in 2022. Norway play their first World Cup since 1998, led by Erling Haaland. Iraq ended a 40-year wait to qualify.
Mbappé vs Haaland on June 26 in Boston is the group’s headline match. Norway is the most dangerous third seed in the entire bracket.
Group H also draws attention. Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cabo Verde mix two top contenders, a Saudi side that beat Argentina in 2022, and World Cup debutants from Cabo Verde.
How to Fill Out Your 2026 World Cup Bracket
Filling out the bracket is simple. Follow these steps to set up your office pool, prediction contest, or personal tracker.
- Download the free printable PDF from the section above.
- Print on US Letter (8.5 × 11″) in North America or A4 (210 × 297 mm) in the rest of the world. Pick “Fit to Paper” in your printer settings if needed.
- Wait for the group stage to end on June 27, 2026, when the 32 knockout teams are confirmed.
- Write the winners and runners-up from each group into the Round of 32 slots, then add the 8 best third-placed teams to their assigned slots.
- Predict each Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinal, Semifinal, Third Place and Final winner by writing team names in the blank knockout slots.
- Track results round by round, mark off losers and update your bracket as matches finish.
- Compare brackets with friends after the final to see who scored the most correct picks.
For office pools, set a fixed scoring system before kickoff. A common scoring scale gives 1 point per Round of 32 pick, 2 points for Round of 16, 4 for Quarterfinals, 8 for Semifinals, 16 for the Final and a bonus for picking the eventual champion.
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FAQ About the 2026 FIFA World Cup Bracket
Is there an editable 2026 World Cup bracket I can fill in?
Yes. The free PDF download at the top of this page works as both a printable wall chart and a fillable tracker. You can write predictions in the blank knockout slots by hand after printing. A digital fillable PDF version with text fields will be added before the Round of 32 begins on June 28.
What size paper should I use to print the World Cup bracket?
We offer two PDF versions to fit standard paper sizes worldwide. Use US Letter (8.5 × 11″) if you print in the United States, Canada or Mexico. Use A4 (210 × 297 mm) if you print in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, India or anywhere else. Both versions show the same bracket. Always pick “Fit to Paper” in your printer settings to avoid cut-off edges. For larger wall display formats, see our dedicated 2026 World Cup wall chart page.
How do third-placed teams enter the knockout bracket?
The 8 best third-placed teams from the 12 groups join the 24 group winners and runners-up in the Round of 32. The 4 third-placed teams with the worst records go home. FIFA ranks them by points first, then total goal difference, total goals scored, fair play, then FIFA ranking.
What happens if a knockout match ends in a draw?
If the score is tied after 90 minutes, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played. If the match is still level after extra time, a penalty shootout decides the winner. There are no replays at any stage of the knockout bracket.
Can teams from the same group meet in the Round of 32?
No. FIFA’s R32 pairing system blocks teams from the same group facing each other again at this stage. The same protection does not apply later in the knockout bracket. Same-group rematches are possible from the Round of 16 onwards.
Will the bracket update with live results during the tournament?
Yes. The live tracker section on this page updates automatically with full-time results, group standings, and locked-in knockout pairings as matches finish. The printable PDF will be refreshed after the group stage on June 27 with all 32 confirmed teams.
How do I read the codes in the Round of 32 table?
“1A” means the team that finishes first in Group A. “2B” means the runner-up of Group B. “3C/E/F/H/I” means the third-placed team from one of those five groups, with the actual group decided by FIFA’s rotation chart based on which third-placed teams qualify.
Why does the 2026 bracket have a Round of 32?
The Round of 32 was added because the tournament expanded from 32 teams to 48. Twelve groups of four produce 24 group winners and runners-up, plus 8 best third-placed teams. That gives 32 teams entering the knockout bracket, which needs an extra round before the Round of 16.