World Cup bracket 2026: Live updated FIFA knockout stages and printable version for download
World Cup bracket 2026: Live updated FIFA knockout stages and printable version for download originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The biggest FIFA World Cup in history delivered on intrigue during the group stage, and now only eight teams remain as the knockout rounds heat up.
MORE:How France beat Morocco in the opening quarterfinal
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 began June 28 with the Round of 32 running until July 3. The expanded World Cup reached 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 still remaining
Below are the teams that have already advanced in the 2026 World Cup knockout stage. This table will be updated throughout the remainder of the knockouts.
Quarterfinals
| Date | Matchup |
| Thu., July 9 | France (F1) vs. Morocco (C2) |
| Fri., July 10 | Spain (H1) vs. Belgium (G1) |
| Sat., July 11 | Norway (I2) vs. England (L1) |
| Argentina (J1) vs. Switzerland (B1) | |
Semifinals
| Date | Matchup |
| Tue., July 14 | France (F1) vs. TBD |
| Wed., July 15 | TBD vs. TBD |
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When does the 2026 World Cup end?
- Dates: Sunday, July 19
The 2026 World Cup final is scheduled to be played 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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 | Canada 1, South Africa 0 |
| Mon., June 29 | 74 | Germany 1 (4-3 pens), Paraguay 1 |
| 75 | Morocco 1 (3-2 pens), Netherlands 1 | |
| 76 | Brazil 2, Japan 1 | |
| Tues., June 30 | 77 | France 3, Sweden 0 |
| 78 | Norway 2, Ivory Coast 1 | |
| 79 | Mexico 2, Ecuador 0 | |
| Wed., July 1 | 80 | England 2, DR Congo 1 |
| 81 | USA 2, Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 | |
| 82 | Belgium 3, Senegal 2 | |
| Thurs., July 2 | 83 | Portugal 2, Croatia 1 |
| 84 | Spain 3, Austria 0 | |
| 85 | Switzerland 2, Algeria 0 | |
| Fri., July 3 | 86 | Argentina 3, Cape Verde 2 |
| 87 | Colombia 1, Ghana 0 | |
| 88 | Egypt 1 (4-2 pens), Australia 1 |
Round of 16
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Sat., July 4 | 89 | France 1, Paraguay 0 |
| 90 | Morocco 3, Canada 0 | |
| Sun., July 5 | 91 | Norway 2, Brazil 1 |
| 92 | England 3, Mexico 2 | |
| Mon., July 6 | 93 | Portugal 0, Spain 1 |
| 94 | Belgium 4, USA 1 | |
| Tue., July 7 | 95 | Argentina 3, Egypt 2 |
| 96 | Colombia 0, Switzerland 0 (4-3 pens) |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Thurs., July 9 | 97 | France vs. Morocco |
| Fri. July 10 | 98 | Spain vs. Belgium |
| Sat., July 11 | 99 | Norway vs. England |
| 100 | Argentina vs. Switzerland |
Semifinals
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Tue., July 12 | 101 | Winner match 97 vs. Winner match 98 |
| Wed. July 13 | 102 | Winner match 99 vs. Winner match 100 |
Third-place
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Sat., July 18 | 103 | Runner-up match 101 vs. Runner-up match 102 |
Final
| Date | Match No. | Matchup |
| Sun., July 19 | 104 | Winner match 101 vs. Winner match 102 |
SN’s Kyle Bonn contributed to this article.
