World Cup third-place race takes shape as two teams already qualify
With the 2026 World Cup group stage nearing its end, and Group H completed overnight between Thursday and Friday, four groups have now finished. Under the tournament's new format, eight of the 12 third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Two third-place teams have already secured qualification: Bosnia and Ecuador. The other third-place finishers so far are South Korea and Scotland, but their fate is not yet sealed.
The current third-place table shows Ecuador and Bosnia on four points each. Sweden, Croatia, South Korea, Algeria and Paraguay each have three points, while Scotland also has three but a worse goal difference. Cape Verde and Belgium are on two points, DR Congo has one, and Senegal is last with none.
At this stage, four points with a goal difference better than minus two should be enough to advance. Because many teams are still expected to finish on three points, goal difference is likely to be decisive. If two teams are tied on points and goal difference, the tiebreakers are goals scored, then fair play points, and finally FIFA ranking.
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