FIFA World Cup 2026 Knockout Stage Schedule
Want to know the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage schedule? When the group stages of 2026 FIFA World Cup has finished and we will have our last 32 teams. Watch & Bet Football Here =>
2026 FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage Bracket
The countdown to the biggest FIFA World Cup in history is officially on. We are just weeks away from the opening whistle of the 2026 tournament, a historic event that will see 48 nations battle across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
While the expanded group stage has generated plenty of buzz, the most dramatic shift begins after the group stage concludes.
This feature breaks down everything you need to know about the high-stakes month ahead, from how the new knockout bracket works to the exact dates for the first-ever 32-team sprint to glory.
Here the FIFA World Cup 2026 Knockout Stage Bracket:
2026 FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage Schedule Dates and Kickoff-time
After the group stage, all knockout matches will be at separate times with Round of 32, Round of 16 and Quarterfinals stage. All times listed are local.
The knockout stage is a month-long, coast-to-coast dash across North America. Here is the complete schedule for the final stages, with all times given in Eastern Time (ET).
| Round | Dates (2026) | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 | June 28 – July 3 | The new round sees 16 matches played over six days. The opening match takes place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA on June 28, while other venues include Atlanta (July 1) and San Francisco (July 1). |
| Round of 16 | July 4 – July 7 | The traditional second round sees 8 matches. Atlanta hosts a Round of 16 match on July 7. |
| Quarterfinals | July 9 – July 11 | The tournament narrows to eight teams. Los Angeles will host a quarterfinal on July 10. |
| Semifinals | July 14 – July 15 | The final four battle for a spot in the final. Atlanta hosts a semifinal on July 15 at 3:00 PM ET. |
| Third-Place Play-off | July 18 | A match to determine the bronze medalists. |
| Final | July 19 | The championship match. It will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Greater New York area). |
2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match dates and kick-off time
The Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will run from June 28 to July 3, 2026.
Specific matchups and participants will only be confirmed after the group stage is complete.
Here is the full FIFA World Cup Round of 32 schedule with dates and UK time for all matches.
| Date | Round of 32 matches | UK Time | Result | Watch & Bet | Stadium |
| Sun, 28 June | South Africa vs Canada | 20:00 | 0-1 | Watch&Bet> | Los Angeles Stadium |
| Sun, 28 June | Brazil vs Japan | 18:00 | 2-1 | Watch&Bet> | Houston Stadium |
| Mon, 29 June | Germany vs Paraguay | 21:30 | 1-1 (P-3-4) | Watch&Bet> | Boston Stadium |
| Mon, 29 June | Netherlands vs Morocco | 02:00 | 1-1 (P-2-3) | Watch&Bet> | Estadio Monterrey |
| Mon, 29 June | Ivory Coast vs Norway | 18:00 | 1-2 | Watch&Bet> | Dallas Stadium |
| Tue, 30 June | France vs Sweden | 22:00 | 3-0 | Watch&Bet> | New York New Jersey Stadium |
| Tue, 30 June | Mexico vs Ecuador | 02:00 | 2-0 | Watch&Bet> | Mexico City Stadium |
| Wed, 1 July | England vs DR Congo | 17:00 | 2-1 | Watch&Bet> | Atlanta Stadium |
| Wed, 1 July | Belgium vs Senegal | 21:00 | 3-1 | Watch&Bet> | Seattle Stadium |
| Wed, 1 July | USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina | 01:00 | 2-0 | Watch&Bet> | Santa Clara Stadium |
| Thu, 2 July | Spain vs Austria | 20:00 | 3-0 | Watch&Bet> | Los Angeles Stadium |
| Thu, 2 July | Portugal vs Croatia | 00:00 | 2-1 | Watch&Bet> | Toronto Stadium |
| Thu, 2 July | Switzerland vs Algeria | 04:00 | 2-0 | Watch&Bet> | Vancouver Stadium |
| Fri, 3 July | Australia vs Egypt | 23:00 | 1-1 (P-2-4) | Watch&Bet> | Miami Stadium |
| Fri, 3 July | Argentina vs Cabo Verde | 02:30 | 3-2 | Watch&Bet> | Kansas City Stadium |
| Fri, 3 July | Colombia vs Ghana | 17:00 | 1-0 | Watch&Bet> | Arlington Stadium |
2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match date and kick-off time
The Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will run from July 4 to July 7, 2026.
Specific matchups and participants will only be confirmed after the Round of 32 is complete.
The first Round of 16 match kicks off at 5 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. UK time on July 4.
Here is the full FIFA World Cup Round of 16 schedule with dates and UK time for all matches.
| Date | Round of 16 Fixtures | UK time | Result | Watch & Bet | Stadium |
| Sat, 4 July | Canada vs Morocco | 18:00 | 0-3 | Watch&Bet> | BMO Field, Toronto |
| Sat, 4 July | Paraguay vs France | 22:00 | 0-1 | Watch&Bet> | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
| Sun, 5 July | Brazil vs Norway | 21:00 | 1-2 | Watch&Bet> | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles |
| Mon, 6 July | Mexico vs England | 01:00 | 2-3 | Watch&Bet> | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
| Mon, 6 July | Portugal vs Spain | 20:00 | 0-1 | Watch&Bet> | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
| Tue, 7 July | USA vs Belgium | 01:00 | 1-4 | Watch&Bet> | Lumen Field, Seattle |
| Tue, 7 July | Argentina vs Egypt | 17:00 | 3-2 | Watch&Bet> | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami |
| Tue, 7 July | Switzerland vs Colombia | 21:00 | 0-0 (P-3-4) | Watch&Bet> | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City |
2026 FIFA World Cup Quarter-Finals match date and kick-off time
The Quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will run from July 9 to July 11, 2026.
Specific matchups and participants will only be confirmed after the Round of 16 is complete.
The first Quarter-Final match kicks off at 4 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. UK time on July 9.
Here is the full FIFA World Cup Quarter-Finals schedule with dates and UK time for all matches.
| Date | Team | UK Time | Result | Watch & Bet | Stadium |
| Thu, 9 July | France vs Morocco | 21:00 | 2-0 | Watch&Bet> | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough |
| Fri, 10 July | Spain vs Belgium | 21:00 | 2-1 | Watch&Bet> | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles |
| Sat, 11 July | Norway vs England | 21:00 | 2-1 | Watch&Bet> | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City |
| Sat, 11 July | Argentina vs Switzerland | 01:00 (Sun) | 3-1 | Watch&Bet> | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami |
2026 FIFA World Cup Semi-Finals match date and kick-off time
The Semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will run from July 14 to July 15, 2026.
Specific matchups and participants will only be confirmed after the Quarterfinals are complete.
Here is the full FIFA World Cup Semi-Finals schedule with dates and UK time for all Semi-finals matches.
The first Semi-Final match kicks off at 4 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. UK time on July 14.
| Date | Team | UK Time | Result | Watch & Bet | Stadium |
| Tue, 14 July | France vs Spain | 20:00 | 2-0 | Watch&Bet> | AT&T Stadium, Arlington (Dallas) |
| Wed, 15 July | England vs Argentina | 20:00 | 1-2 | Watch&Bet> | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
2026 FIFA World Cup 3rd place match date and kick-off time
The Third-Place Play-off of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place on July 18, 2026.
The specific participants will only be confirmed after the Semifinals are complete.
Here the FIFA World Cup 3rd place match schedule with the date and UK time for the game.
The 3rd place match kicks off at 2 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. UK time.
| Date | 3rd place match | UK Time | Result | Watch & Bet | Stadium |
| Sat, 18 July | France vs England | 22:00 | 4-6 | Watch&Bet> | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens |
2026 FIFA World Cup Final match date and kick-off time
The Final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place on July 19, 2026.
The specific participants will only be confirmed after the Semifinals are complete.
Here is the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match date and UK time for the final game.
The World Cup 2026 Final match kicks off at 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. UK time.
| Date | Team | UK Time | Result | Watch & Bet | Stadium |
| Sun, 19 July | Spain vs Argentina | 20:00 | 1-0 | Watch&Bet> | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford (NY/NJ) |
What is the format for the knockout stage of the World Cup 2026?
For decades, the World Cup knockout phase has been a familiar, grueling gauntlet: a Round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final. The 2026 format tears up that blueprint and adds a whole new layer of intensity.
Instead of sending 16 teams into the sudden-death rounds, the expanded 48-team tournament will now see a staggering 32 teams advance to the knockout stage.
This creates an entirely new round: the Round of 32. From there, it’s a relentless, single-elimination sprint through five rounds of knockout football for the two teams that reach the final.
This expansion is a game-changer for the tournament’s middle tier. While the top 24 teams automatically advance (the 12 group winners and 12 runners-up), the final eight spots are reserved for a high-stakes competition among the third-place finishers, where only the eight best records across all groups will survive to join the bracket.
The knockout rules remain the same: if a match is tied after 90 minutes, we go to 30 minutes of extra time, and if the deadlock remains, a penalty shootout will decide who moves on.
Is round of 32 knockout?
Yes, absolutely. The new Round of 32 is a straight, single-elmination knockout round. For the first time in World Cup history, one-third of the teams will depart the tournament after just this one match.
The Bracket: The tournament will use seeding to ensure that, as much as possible, group winners are matched against the lower-ranked teams that advanced from third place.
In fact, the eight third-place qualifiers will all be slotted against group winners. There is also a rule in place to prevent any rematches between teams that already faced each other in the group stage.
A New Seeding System: To add another layer of intrigue, FIFA has adopted a “tennis-style” seeding for the knockout rounds.
This means the tournament bracket is not fixed in advance; instead, the draw is designed to keep the top-ranked teams in separate brackets for as long as possible, potentially preventing the biggest giants from colliding until the final stages.
For all the latest fixtures, results, and breaking news as the tournament unfolds, stay locked into the Silly Season for your daily football fix.
Remember, all match dates, kick-off times, and participant information are subject to confirmation following the group-stage draw and results.
How many teams advance to the knockout stage?
In total, 32 nations will survive the group stage and proceed to the knockout rounds.
They are comprised of:
- 12 group winners
- 12 group runners-up
- The 8 best third-placed teams across all 12 groups
This high survival rate means that an incredible 32 of the 48 teams advance, making it more important than ever for teams to aim for a top-two finish, rather than relying on a precarious best-third-place spot.
More about FIFA World Cup 2026 Knockout Stage
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