Teams advance to the Round of 32 by finishing in the top two of their group, and in this World Cup format the eight best third-place teams also move on. After that, the knockout stage is simple: win and advance, with ties decided by extra time and, if needed, penalties.

How it works

  • 12 groups of 4 teams play the group stage.
  • The top 2 teams in each group qualify automatically.
  • The 8 best third-place teams also qualify, making 32 teams total.
  • Once the Round of 32 starts, it becomes single-elimination.

Tiebreakers

If teams finish level in the group, advancement is decided by points first, then goal difference, goals scored, and other tiebreakers such as fair play points. That means a team can still qualify as a third-place side even without finishing top two, as long as its results are strong enough compared with other third-place teams.

Simple example

A team that goes 2 wins and 1 loss will usually advance. A team that goes 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss can also advance if its point total and tiebreakers are strong enough.

TL;DR

Top two in each group advance automatically, and the eight strongest third- place teams fill out the Round of 32. After that, every match is win-or-go- home.