Projected World Cup knockout ties take shape as group stage nears its end

The third and decisive round of the group stage at the 2026 World Cup is underway, and the picture for the next phase is becoming clearer. Three groups have already been decided, and three more are expected to finish within the next 24 hours, between Thursday and Friday, giving a fresh view of the knockout bracket.

Under the tournament’s updated format, 24 teams advance from the 12 groups, with the top two in each group qualifying automatically. Another eight places go to the best third-place finishers, bringing the total for the next round to 32 teams.

As things stand, the projected knockout matchups include South Africa vs Canada, the Netherlands vs Morocco, Germany vs Paraguay, France vs Sweden, Portugal vs Ghana, Spain vs Austria, the United States vs Bosnia, Egypt vs South Korea, Brazil vs Japan, Ivory Coast vs Norway, Mexico vs Scotland, England vs Cape Verde, Argentina vs Uruguay, Australia vs Iran, Switzerland vs Algeria, and Colombia vs Croatia.

The article also notes that international media are already speculating about possible marquee clashes, including a Spain-Argentina meeting, while asking whether England could again run into a tough opponent from its past. The bracket remains provisional and will continue to shift as the remaining groups are completed.