The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin later today. There are two matches on the agenda for Thursday: the host team Mexico starts against South Africa, while a little later South Korea will face the Czech Republic.
And before long, the other 44 teams will join the fray.
Here we track the standings of each of the 12 groups of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. You can also learn how the tiebreakers are determined and how the eight best third-place teams will be decided, as those teams will join the two best teams in each group in the round of 32.
World Cup group classification
Here is the latest Group A standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| South Korea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| Czechia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| South Africa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
Here is the schedule of all Group A matches:
Mexico 2, South Africa 0
South Korea 2, Czech Republic 1
Czechia against South Africa
Mexico vs. South Korea
South Africa vs South Korea
Czechia vs Mexico
Here is the latest Group B standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Taste | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Swiss | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Here is the schedule of all Group B matches:
Canada 1, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1
Switzerland against Bosnia and Herzegovina
Canada vs. Qatar
Switzerland against Canada
Bosnia and Herzegovina against Qatar
Here is the latest Group C standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| Brazil | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Morocco | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Haiti | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Here is the schedule of all Group C matches:
Brazil 1, Morocco 1
Scotland 1, Haiti 0
Scotland against Morocco
Brazil vs Haiti
Morocco against Haiti
Scotland against Brazil
Here is the latest Group D standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| Australia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| Türkiye | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| Paraguay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
Here is the schedule of all Group D matches:
United States 4, Paraguay 1
United States vs. Australia
Türkiye vs. Paraguay
Türkiye vs. the United States
Paraguay vs. Australia
Here is the latest Group E standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 3 |
| Ivory Coast | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Curacao | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
Here is the schedule of all Group E matches:
Germany 7, Curacao 1
Ivory Coast 1, Ecuador 0
Germany against Ivory Coast
Ecuador vs Curacao
Curacao vs. Ivory Coast
Ecuador vs. Germany
Here is the latest Group F standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 3 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Japan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
Here is the schedule of all Group F matches:
Netherlands 2, Japan 2
Sweden 5, Tunisia 1
Tunisia vs. Netherlands
Japan vs Sweden
Here is the latest Group G standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Egypt | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Iran | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| New Zealand | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Here is the schedule of all Group G matches:
Belgium 1, Egypt 1
Iran 2, New Zealand 2
Belgium against Iran
New Zealand vs Egypt
New Zealand vs Belgium
Egypt vs Iran
Here is the latest Group H standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Spain | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cape Verde | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Here is the schedule of all Group H matches:
Spain 0, Cape Verde 0
Saudi Arabia 1, Uruguay 1
Spain vs. Saudi Arabia
Uruguay vs Cape Verde
Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia
Uruguay vs Spain
Here is the latest Group I standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| Senegal | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| Iraq | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
Here is the schedule of all Group I matches:
France 3, Senegal 1
Norway 4, Iraq 1
France against Iraq
Norway vs. Senegal
Norway against France
Senegal against Iraq
Here is the latest Group J standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| Austria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| Jordan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| Algeria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
Here is the schedule of all Group J matches:
Argentina vs. Austria
Jordan vs. Algeria
Algeria against Austria
Jordan vs Argentina
Here is the latest Group K standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| Portugal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
Here is the schedule of all Group K matches:
Portugal 1, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1
Colombia 3, Uzbekistan 1
Portugal vs Uzbekistan
Colombia vs. DR Congo
Colombia vs Portugal
Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Uzbekistan
Here is the latest Group L standings:
Equipment |
W. |
d |
l |
GF |
GO |
God |
Needles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 |
| Ghana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| Panama | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Croatia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 0 |
Here is the schedule of all Group L matches:
England 4, Croatia 2
Ghana 1, Panama 0
England vs Ghana
Panama vs. Croatia
Panama vs England
Croatia against Ghana
Who advances to the round of 16 of the World Cup?
With the field expanding to 48 nations, the knockout round will look a little different at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Instead of starting with a round of 16, the knockout stage will begin with a round of 32. That’s right, 32 of the 48 nations will advance to the knockout rounds: the top two teams in each group will be the top 24 teams, and then the other eight will be the eight best third-place teams.
How do tiebreakers work in the World Cup?
Finally, a few words about the tiebreakers in the World Cup.
If two or more teams in the same group are tied on points after the group stage, a three-step process will be followed to determine tiebreakers.
In the first step, the highest number of points will be applied in the group matches between the tied teams. Then, the highest goal difference from the group matches between the tied teams will be applied, and finally, the highest number of goals scored in all group matches between the tied teams will be applied.
If that cannot determine a tiebreaker, then the teams still tied will advance to step two. At this stage, the first step is the goal difference in all group matches, then the highest number of goals in all group matches and finally the highest team conduct score (related to yellow and red cards) will be applied.
If that does not break the tie, the teams still tied on points will be classified according to the most recent FIFA World Ranking.
How are the third place teams ranked?
This is how FIFA will rank the third-place teams.
First of all, the most points in all group games.
Secondly, the goal difference in all group games.
Thirdly, the number of goals scored in all group stage matches.
Fourth, the team behavior score.
If there are still ties after applying those four steps, the teams that are still tied on points will be ranked according to the most recent FIFA World Ranking.
