32 teams make it to the knockout stage in the World Cup. In the current 48-team format, that usually means the top 2 teams from each of the 12 groups plus the 8 best third-place teams advance to the Round of 32.

Quick Scoop

  • 32 teams advance to the knockout stage.
  • 24 of those come from finishing first or second in their groups.
  • 8 more come from being the best third-place teams.

How it works

The knockout stage starts with the Round of 32, then moves to the Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final.

In this format, 16 teams are eliminated after the group stage.

TL;DR

The World Cup knockout stage includes 32 teams in the current format.