2026 FIFA World Cup Group Stage Roundup and Round of 32 Preview

Group A

In Group A, Mexico played three home games in a group that also contained South Korea, South Africa, and Czechia! In the end, Mexico managed to top this group, winning all 3 games whilst not conceding, resulting in a strong aggregate score of 6-0! Despite a terrible opening game, South Africa were able to finish second with 4 points, despite having a negative aggregate score of 2-3, whilst the same aggregate score for South Korea saw them finish third with just 3 points! Ultimately, that wasn’t enough for South Korea to advance; a very disappointing tournament for the Asian side! And finally, Czechia finished bottom of Group A, earning just 1 point and an aggregate score of 2-6! Czechia were rubbish!

Group B

In Group B, one of the three tournament hosts, Canada, squared off in a very open group with Switzerland, Qatar, and Bosnia and Herzegovina! In the end, despite bottling their opening game against Qatar, 7 points was still enough for Switzerland to top Group B, boasting an aggregate score of 7-3! Despite having an aggregate score of 8-3, Canada could only manage second, whilst a win on their final game allowed Bosnia and Herzegovina to also get 4 points, with a 5-6 aggregate score being enough for them to advance as a third-place team! And finally, Qatar finished bottom of Group B with a torrid aggregate score of 2-10, but hey, at least they scored their first-ever World Cup point!

Group C

In Group C, Brazil and Morocco tussled for top spot in a group that also contained Scotland and Haiti! In the end, Brazil were able to top Group C with 7 points, with a 7-1 aggregate score enough to see them top the group via goal difference! Despite also earning 7 points, a 6-3 aggregate score meant that Morocco had to settle for second, whilst Scotland finished third with 3 points! Unfortunately for them, their aggregate score stood at a poor 1-4, meaning they’re out! And finally, Haiti’s return to the World Cup saw them finish unceremoniously bottom of Group C, losing all 3 games by an aggregate score of 2-8!

Group D

In Group D, the United States entered with all the dreams in the world as they aimed to topple Australia, Paraguay, and Turkiye! In the end, despite losing their final group game, the United States were able to top Group D with 6 points, boasting an aggregate score of 8-4! Both Australia and Paraguay ended up on 4 points, with the Aussies taking second place with an aggregate score of 2-2, in comparison to Paraguay’s 2-4! Ultimately, though, both teams will be very happy to have made it through to the next round, especially Paraguay, considering they got thrashed by the US in their opener! And finally, 2 losses in their opening 2 games meant Turkiye were one of the most disappointing teams of the tournament, finishing bottom of Group D with a 3-5 aggregate score!

Group E

In Group E, Germany, Ecuador, and Cote d’Ivoire all had high hopes of topping the group as Curacao made their World Cup debut! In the end, 6 points was enough for Germany to win Group E on the head-to-head rule, although their 10-4 aggregate score was also the best of anyone in this group! A good Cote d’Ivoire side also managed to earn 6 points, finishing second with a solid 4-2 aggregate score, whilst Ecuador, who made a mess of their opening 2 group games, managed to find their way into the Last 32 with a brilliant victory over Germany! In typical Ecuadorian fashion, their aggregate score stood at 2-2! And finally, Curacao bowed out of their opening World Cup campaign with a point to their name, finishing bottom of Group E with a 1-9 aggregate score! Whilst losing 1-9 across 3 games is pretty shocking, Curacao did incredibly well to earn a point!

Group F

In Group F, both the Netherlands and Japan had high hopes of topping the group, whilst Tunisia and Sweden were aiming to cause an upset (or two)! In the end, the Netherlands were able to top Group F with 7 points, boasting an impressive aggregate score of 10-4! An unbeaten Japan ended up second with 5 points and an aggregate score of 7-3, whilst Sweden managed to earn 4 points to get themselves through to the Knockout Stages! Amazingly, Sweden’s aggregate score finished at 7-7! And finally, a horrendous Tunisia finished bottom of Group F with an abysmal aggregate score of 2-12! Absolutely shambolic!

Group G

In Group G, Belgium were the heavy favourites as IR Iran, Egypt, and New Zealand were all looking to make history! In the end, despite drawing their opening 2 games, a 5-1 victory in their final game allowed Belgium to sneak top spot on goal difference, even with just 5 points (and an aggregate score of 6-2)! Egypt also finished on 5 points, but a weaker aggregate score of 5-3 (in comparison to Belgium) meant that they had to settle for second, whilst IR Iran finished third following 3 draws (3-3)! Rather surprisingly, that wasn’t quite enough for Iran to advance to the Knockout Stages, which honestly feels cruel! And finally, despite some decent moments, New Zealand finished bottom of Group G, earning just 1 point with an aggregate score of 4-10! At least they scored in all 3 games!

Group H

In Group H, European Champions Spain battled Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and debutants Cabo Verde! In the end, after a shock draw in their opening game, Spain were able to cruise to top spot in Group H, earning 7 points with a 5-0 aggregate score! Amazingly, Cabo Verde managed to stun the world by finishing in second, with just 2 goals scored and conceded, guiding them to 3 draws out of 3! Yes, Cabo Verde didn’t win a game, and yet they finished second, whilst Uruguay were unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament entirely, earning just 2 points (with an aggregate score of 3-4)! And finally, Saudi Arabia finished bottom of Group H with a terrible aggregate score of 1-5, although it’s worth noting that they did only lose 1 game!

Group I

In Group I, Iraq had it all to do in the most star-studded group of the tournament, featuring France, Senegal, and Norway! In the end, France were able to top Group I, impressively winning all 3 games with an impressive 10-2 aggregate score! Whilst their rotated team may have lost their last game, Norway won’t care about an 8-7 aggregate score, as 6 points was enough for them to finish second! Despite losing their opening 2 games, a fantastic final-game performance allowed Senegal to end up with an 8-6 aggregate score, meaning they were able to advance as one of the eight-best third-place teams, despite only earning 3 points! And finally, Iraq unsurprisingly finished bottom of Group I, losing all 3 games by an aggregate score of 1-12! Yikes!

Group J

In Group J, reigning World Champions Argentina looked to kick-start their defence in a very winnable group against Austria, Algeria, and Jordan! In the end, Argentina were able to breeze through as group winners, winning all 3 games by an aggregate score of 8-1! Austria somehow managed to scrape through on 4 points, both scoring and conceding 6 goals, whilst Algeria also earned 4 points to advance, but they finished third due to a weaker 5-7 aggregate score! And finally, Jordan finished bottom of Group J, losing all 3 games by an aggregate score of 3-8 in what was their first-ever appearance on the world stage!

Group K

In Group K, Colombia were looking to disrupt Portugal’s plans in a group that also contained Uzbekistan and DR Congo! In the end, Colombia did a great job to top Group K, with an aggregate score of 4-1 guiding them to 7 points! After dropping 2 points in their opening game, Portugal had to settle for second with 5 points (and an aggregate score of 6-1), whilst an impressive DR Congo managed to get through in third, funnily enough as the number 1-best third-place team (thanks to a 4-3 aggregate score)! And finally, Uzbekistan’s debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup ended up going horribly, with them finishing bottom of Group K after losing all 3 games by an abysmal aggregate score of 2-11!

Group L

In Group L, England and Croatia renewed their rivalry as Panama and Ghana knew that they were up against it! In the end, England were able to top their group with a positive aggregate score of 6-2, although they were slightly disappointed not to win all 3 games (winning 2 and drawing the other)! After losing their opening game, Croatia bounced back with 2 wins to finish second on 6 points (with a 5-5 aggregate score), whilst Ghana shocked a lot of people (me included) to a third-place finish (2-2)! And finally, Panama finished bottom of Group L, losing all 3 games as they ended up as the only team not to score at these Finals (whilst they conceded 4)!

Round of 32 Preview:

South Africa VS Canada

The first knockout game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to be special as South Africa take on Canada at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California! Both of these teams managed to finish second in their group with 4 points, but in different styles, with South Africa winning in their final game, whilst Canada lost theirs! Overall, this is actually both South Africa’s and Canada’s first-ever appearance in the Knockout Stages of a FIFA World Cup, meaning this is an unbelievable chance for both nations to make even more history! Canada should be the favourites, but South Africa knocked off South Korea to make it to this stage, so they’ll be playing with a ton of confidence!

My Prediction: 1-2

Brazil VS Japan

Brazil VS Japan could be quite the battle between two teams wanting to go far! Brazil’s reward for topping Group C (over Morocco) is a difficult game against a Japanese side that also went unbeaten! Japan haven’t won a World Cup Knockout Game in their entire history, whilst Brazil are the most successful team on this stage! So, due to all of this, I’m actually going to back Japan to win this game; I think they’re better than Brazil!

My Prediction: 2-2 (Japan Win on Penalties)

Germany VS Paraguay

Germany return to the Knockout Stages of the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2014 as they take on a determined Paraguay! Germany managed to top their group with 6 points, despite losing their final game, whilst 4 points was enough for Paraguay to advance as one of the eight-best third-place teams! Form-wise, Paraguay are actually better off, having recovered well from a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of the United States in their first game, whilst Germany got out-played by Ecuador last time out! However, there are correct arguments to be made that the game didn’t matter for the Germans, that they were already focusing on the Knockout Stages, and I honestly just think that Germany are a level or two above Paraguay right now! As a result, I expect Germany to secure their first World Cup knockout stage win since they lifted the trophy back in 2014!

My Prediction: 2-0

Netherlands VS Morocco

Star power-wise, Netherlands VS Morocco is by far the biggest game in the Round of 32! The Netherlands looked very impressive in Group F, topping it over Japan, whilst Morocco had to settle for second in Group C, despite the fact that they also picked up 7 points! The Netherlands and Morocco literally entered this tournament ranked 7th and 8th in the world, respectively, meaning that these are two teams who, in theory, should be making it to at least the Quarter-Finals! Instead, one of these teams isn’t even making it to the Last 16, and that would be an absolute disaster for either of them! I think the Dutch are a genuine threat to pretty much everyone in this tournament, and yet, I don’t see them beating Morocco, unless they can nick it on penalties (which I’m not going to predict)!

My Prediction: 2-2 (Morocco Win on Penalties)

Cote d’Ivoire VS Norway

After both teams finished second in very difficult groups, Cote d’Ivoire and Norway will scrap it out for a place in the Last 16! Both Cote d’Ivoire and Norway were able to finish second with 6 points, although it was in slightly different ways as Ivory Coast won their final game to secure their place at this stage, whilst Norway fully rotated their squad against France, having already booked their ticket to the Knockout Stages! Interestingly, this is the first time ever that Cote d’Ivoire have appeared in the Knockout Stages of a FIFA World Cup, whilst Norway are yet to win a WC Knockout game! Personally, I felt like Ivory Coast were underrated heading into this tournament, and they still feel underrated now! However, having said that, Norway have Erling Haaland!

My Prediction: 1-2

France VS Sweden

Sweden’s reward for miraculously making it into the Knockout Stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite finishing bottom of their qualifying group, is a trip to New York to take on tournament-favourites France! France walked the hardest group in the tournament, winning all 3 games, whilst Sweden actually did quite well to earn 4 points, a feat that was enough for them to get through in third place! Sadly for Sweden, they’ve only won 2 of their last 11 matches against European opposition, and given that they lost 5-1 to the Netherlands just over a week ago, this could get messy!

My Prediction: 4-0

Mexico VS Ecuador

There have been plenty of great games at the World Cup so far this summer, but there’s something about Mexico VS Ecuador that screams “must watch”! Mexico did a brilliant job in the Group Stage, winning all 3 games without conceding a goal, whilst Ecuador managed to stun their way through with a fantastic win over Germany! I say stun their way through because of the fact that Ecuador couldn’t beat Curacao in their second match, but I’ll be honest, I don’t think anybody wants to play this Ecuador team because they very rarely lose! Speaking of rarely losing, Mexico haven’t lost in their home country since 2018, so something has to give! I genuinely can’t call this game; whoever wins this game is going to be an absolute nightmare for future opponents!

My Prediction: 0-0 (Mexico Win on Penalties)

England VS DR Congo

After ranking as the best third-place team at this tournament, DR Congo will look to keep their incredible run going when they take on England! England were able to top Group L after picking up 7 points from 3 games, whilst a point in their opening match against Portugal allowed DR Congo to make it through to the Round of 32 with a win over Uzbekistan! In fact, in the one game that they lost, they only lost 1-0 to Colombia (who we’ll get on to later)! England are heavy favourites in this game for a reason, but you have to remember that they couldn’t beat Ghana, an African team that is weaker in comparison to the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Don’t rule DR Congo out, but I do think England will have enough to win!

My Prediction: 2-1

Belgium VS Senegal

Belgium and Senegal face off at Lumen Field in Seattle as both teams aim to make it to at least the Quarter-Finals! Both Belgium and Senegal struggled in their opening 2 games, with Senegal losing to two strong teams, whilst Belgium could only draw against weaker teams! However, in their final matches, a 5-1 win over New Zealand was enough for Belgium to top Group G, whilst a 5-0 thumping of Iraq allowed Senegal to sneak in as the final third-place team! It felt like Belgium had somehow managed to open the draw up perfectly for them, but now they’ve got Senegal, a team that I’d argue is better than Belgium! Of course, the drawback to Senegal is they haven’t been able to stop two of the best players in the world already at this tournament, but I think they’ll do it here!

My Prediction: 1-2

United States VS Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina are set to make history as they face the United States at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara! The United States topped Group D despite losing their final match to Turkiye, having won their opening 2 matches, whilst a 3-1 win over Qatar in their final game was enough for Bosnia and Herzegovina to get in as one of the eight-best third-place teams! Now, the US have lost each of their last 3 Knockout games at the FIFA World Cup, whilst on the other hand, this will be the first Knockout match in Bosnia’s Footballing history, let alone at the World Cup! This is actually quite a nice draw for both sides, and it’s worth remembering that Bosnia and Herzegovina have already drawn against Canada in Canada! However, having said that, I think the United States are moving on to the Last 16!

My Prediction: 2-1 

Spain VS Austria

A dramatic 96th-minute equaliser allows Austria a chance to continue at these Finals, although they’ll do well to beat Spain! Spain are just one of two teams that are yet to concede at this summer’s tournament, with them not exactly looking threatened at any point in any of their 3 group games! Austria managed to finish second in Group J with 4 points, and it’s safe to say that their defence hasn’t looked the best! However, Austria did give a good account of themselves against Argentina, only losing 2-0 due to a stoppage-time goal, and they tend to play pretty well against fellow European opposition, having lost just 2 of their last 14 matches against them! Sadly for Austria, Spain are the European Champions, and I can only see one winner!

My Prediction: 2-0

Portugal VS Croatia

One of Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric’s World Cup dreams are set to be over as Portugal take on Croatia in a mammoth Round of 32 collision! Both of these teams finished second in their respective groups, with Portugal going unbeaten whilst Croatia bounced back with two wins after losing their group opener! It’s crazy to think that despite all the pedigree, Portugal have only finished third or higher at one World Cup (1966), whilst Croatia have finished second and third at the previous two World Cups! For me, though, this Croatian team isn’t as good as those previous teams, whilst Portugal are strong, even if they’ve only managed to win once! Portugal will win this game, but they’ve made their journey an awful lot harder by not winning Group K!

My Prediction: 2-1

Switzerland VS Algeria

Both Switzerland and Algeria find themselves with a great opportunity to reach the World Cup Quarter-Finals, but first, they need to win in Vancouver! Switzerland managed to win Group B with 7 points, overcoming their original slip up to Qatar well, whilst Algeria recovered from a 3-0 thrashing to pick up 4 points! 4 Points that was enough for Algeria to qualify for the Knockout Stages! Interestingly, Algeria have never won a World Cup Knockout match, whilst the last time Switzerland achieved that feat, it was 1954! To say both of these nations have been waiting for this moment would be an understatement, but out of the two, I rate Switzerland higher!

My Prediction: 2-1

Australia VS Egypt

Yes, you read that right, Australia VS Egypt is a genuine Knockout match at this year’s FIFA World Cup! Both Australia and Egypt were able to finish second in their respective groups, with Egypt going undefeated! However, whilst Australia did what they needed to do in the final game, Egypt didn’t, hence why they didn’t end up winning their group! However, having said that, this might actually be an easier draw for them! For those who don’t know, Egypt had never won a game at the FIFA World Cup before this summer, whilst the Aussies have never won a Knockout game at the World Cup! We knew coming into this tournament that both Australia and Egypt had a good chance of making history, and now it’s staring right at them!

My Prediction: 1-2 (AET)

Argentina VS Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde, the story of the tournament so far, aim to keep their Cinderella story going when they take on reigning Champions Argentina at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida! Argentina were able to breeze their way through Group J, winning all 3 games comfortably, and they’re heavy favourites to go far given the way that the draw has played out for them! Cabo Verde, on the other hand, have shocked the world, following up a memorable draw against Spain with two more draws against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to somehow finish second in their group! Forget about David VS Goliath, Messi VS Vozinha is going to be cinema! Cinema that ends with the World Champions ending the dreams of the People’s Champions!

My Prediction: 2-0

Colombia VS Ghana

The final Round of 32 game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup sees Colombia and Ghana face off after impressive Group Stage showings! Colombia did a brilliant job to top their group over Portugal, whilst Ghana came out of nowhere to earn 4 points against Panama and England, despite the fact that they’ve been rubbish for ages! In fact, Ghana haven’t played a Knockout game at any tournament since 2019, and for context, there have been three African Cup of Nations since then! So, can Ghana continue this amazing run against a Colombian side who have put themselves in a golden position to make it to the Quarter-Finals? Personally, I don’t think so; I rate Colombia highly!

My Prediction: 1-0