Brazil is one of the third-placed teams in the group stage after Round 1. | Photo Credit: AP

The expanded nature of the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup means teams can qualify for the knockout stages even by finishing third in the group phase.

With a round of 32 in place, the top two teams from each group will progress in the knockouts alongside eight third-placed teams.

Once the group stage ends, the 12 third-placed teams will be clubbed together. The best eight will then be decided based on the following criteria, in the descending order:

• greatest number of points obtained in all group matches
• goal difference resulting from all group matches
• greatest number of goals scored in all group matches
• highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained in all group matches
• the two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA Men’s World Ranking

The Netherlands leads the pack because it scored two goals in its draw. The rest of the teams with one point each are sorted based on conduct score and FIFA Rankings.

Published on Jun 18, 2026