32 Teams, 7 Runden, ein Champion
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, is the first edition with a 48-team field and a six-round knockout bracket: Round of 32 (16 matches), Round of 16 (8 matches), Quarter-finals (4 matches), Semi-finals (2 matches), Third-place play-off (1 match), Final (1 match). Across 32 elimination matches, every survivor wins or goes home -- there are no second legs, no away-goals tie-breakers, and extra time plus penalties decides any tie level after 90 minutes. The knockout phase opens on June 28, 2026 with the Round of 32 -- a new round in the expanded format, contested by the 32 teams that emerge from the 12 first-round groups (group winners, runners-up, and the eight best third-placed sides). The bracket halves with each stage -- 32, 16, 8, 4, then 2 -- before the Final on July 19, 2026 at Lumen Field in Seattle, WA. The knockout slate uses every one of the tournament's 16 host stadiums, spread across the three host countries. Round-of-32 ties are seeded by group finishing position so the strongest first-round form is rewarded with a more favourable opening tie. Match dates, kick-off times and venues for every fixture are listed above; kick-offs auto-convert to your local timezone. As teams advance, the team labels (e.g. "Winner Match 73") in later rounds resolve to the qualifying nation's name as soon as their previous tie completes.