The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage is where 48 teams become one. This interactive bracket tracks every round — from the Round of 32 through the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium — and lets you dig into any team or matchup along the way.
Tap any team to see its full projected path: the odds to reach each round and lift the trophy, its group-finish breakdown, plus manager, recent form, set-piece takers, World Cup pedigree, and how the model's title odds stack up against the betting market. Tap any matchup to compare both sides side by side. As group play wraps and teams clinch their spots, the bracket fills in — or you can drop in the projected qualifiers yourself with one switch.
The projections come from Nick Giffen's daily tournament simulations, refreshed throughout the World Cup. For the full team-by-team advancement numbers behind this bracket, see World Cup Tournament Projections: Full Tournament Simulations. And to break down any single fixture — per-game win probability, projected score, FIFA and Elo ratings, head-to-head history back to 1930, and current form — head to our 2026 FIFA World Cup Matchup Tool.
Now dive in: pick your dark horse, chase the upsets, and map every road to the final at MetLife. The bracket's wide open — go fill it in.
World Cup 2026 Knockout Bracket: Matchup Predictions & Qualified Teams
As the 2026 World Cup knockout stage takes shape, this section breaks down every confirmed knockout matchup and every team that has booked its place — each with Action Network’s model projections, FIFA and Elo ratings, and the road ahead. Use the bracket above to map any path to the MetLife final; the write-ups below update as teams qualify and fixtures lock in.
Knockout Matchups
South Africa vs Canada: Round of 32 Prediction & Odds
South Africa meet Canada in the Round of 32 on Jun 28 in Los Angeles (Match 73). Action Network’s model leans Canada, who carry 0.1% title odds to South Africa’s 0.0% and rank #30 to #60 in the FIFA rankings (1695 Elo to 1545). On tournament-long projections, South Africa sit at 8.1% to reach the Round of 16 and Canada at 52.5%. For the full per-game projection — win probability, projected score and goal total — open the Matchup Tool above.
Qualified Teams
Teams that have clinched a knockout berth, ordered by title odds.
🇦🇷 Argentina — Round of 32 (Group J winners)
Argentina have locked up top spot in Group J and open the knockout stage on Jul 3 in Miami (Match 86). Action Network’s tournament simulations give them a 89.7% chance to reach the Round of 16, 70.3% to make the quarter-finals and 16.0% to win the World Cup outright. Lionel Scaloni’s side arrive on an 8-1-1 record (W-D-L) across their last 10, including a 5-0 win over Zambia, a 2-0 win over Honduras and a 3-0 win over Iceland. Tap Argentina in the bracket above for their full projected path.
🇫🇷 France — Round of 32 (a Round of 32 place)
The model makes France a 11.2% pick to lift the trophy, with a 82.5% route to the Round of 16 and 52.8% to the quarter-finals. They reach the bracket as a Round of 32 place and begin on Jun 30 in New York/New Jersey (Match 77). Under Didier Deschamps (in charge since 2012), they bring an 8-1-1 recent record (W-D-L) — recent form includes a 3-1 win over Colombia, a 1-2 loss to Ivory Coast and a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland. See France’s full path in the bracket above.
🇧🇷 Brazil — Round of 32 (Group C winners)
Brazil have locked up top spot in Group C and open the knockout stage on Jun 29 in Houston (Match 76). Action Network’s tournament simulations give them a 72.0% chance to reach the Round of 16, 52.5% to make the quarter-finals and 10.7% to win the World Cup outright. Carlo Ancelotti’s side arrive on a 6-1-3 record (W-D-L) across their last 10, including a 3-1 win over Croatia, a 6-2 win over Panama and a 2-1 win over Egypt. Tap Brazil in the bracket above for their full projected path.
🇩🇪 Germany — Round of 32 (Group E winners)
The model makes Germany a 5.1% pick to lift the trophy, with a 78.8% route to the Round of 16 and 37.6% to the quarter-finals. They reach the bracket as Group E winners and begin on Jun 29 in Boston (Match 74). Under Julian Nagelsmann (in charge since 2023), they bring a 9-0-1 recent record (W-D-L) — recent form includes a 2-1 win over Ghana, a 4-0 win over Finland and a 2-1 win over USA. See Germany’s full path in the bracket above.
🇨🇴 Colombia — Round of 32 (a Round of 32 place)
Colombia have locked up a Round of 32 place and open the knockout stage on Jul 3 in Kansas City (Match 87). Action Network’s tournament simulations give them a 68.4% chance to reach the Round of 16, 37.5% to make the quarter-finals and 3.4% to win the World Cup outright. Néstor Lorenzo’s side arrive on a 7-1-2 record (W-D-L) across their last 10, including a 1-3 loss to France, a 3-1 win over Costa Rica and a 2-0 win over Jordan. Tap Colombia in the bracket above for their full projected path.
🇲🇦 Morocco — Round of 32 (Group C runners-up)
The model makes Morocco a 1.8% pick to lift the trophy, with a 48.4% route to the Round of 16 and 29.7% to the quarter-finals. They reach the bracket as Group C runners-up and begin on Jun 30 in Guadalajara (Match 75). Under Mohamed Ouahbi (in charge since 2026), they bring a 7-3-0 recent record (W-D-L) — recent form includes a 5-0 win over Burundi, a 4-0 win over Madagascar and a 1-1 draw with Norway. See Morocco’s full path in the bracket above.
🇳🇴 Norway — Round of 32 (a Round of 32 place)
Norway have locked up a Round of 32 place and open the knockout stage on Jun 30 in New York/New Jersey (Match 77). Action Network’s tournament simulations give them a 66.9% chance to reach the Round of 16, 27.7% to make the quarter-finals and 1.7% to win the World Cup outright. Ståle Solbakken’s side arrive on a 6-3-1 record (W-D-L) across their last 10, including a 0-0 draw with Switzerland, a 3-1 win over Sweden and a 1-1 draw with Morocco. Tap Norway in the bracket above for their full projected path.
🇺🇸 United States — Round of 32 (Group D winners)
The model makes the United States a 1.4% pick to lift the trophy, with a 77.2% route to the Round of 16 and 43.7% to the quarter-finals. They reach the bracket as Group D winners and begin on Jul 2 in San Francisco (Match 81). Under Mauricio Pochettino (in charge since 2024), they bring a 5-1-4 recent record (W-D-L) — recent form includes a 0-2 loss to Portugal, a 3-2 win over Senegal and a 1-2 loss to Germany. See the United States’s full path in the bracket above.
🇨🇭 Switzerland — Round of 32 (Group B winners)
Switzerland have locked up top spot in Group B and open the knockout stage on Jul 2 in Vancouver (Match 85). Action Network’s tournament simulations give them a 66.9% chance to reach the Round of 16, 27.2% to make the quarter-finals and 1.2% to win the World Cup outright. Murat Yakin’s side arrive on a 5-4-1 record (W-D-L) across their last 10, including a 0-0 draw with Norway, a 4-1 win over Jordan and a 1-1 draw with Australia. Tap Switzerland in the bracket above for their full projected path.
🇲🇽 Mexico — Round of 32 (Group A winners)
The model makes Mexico a 1.1% pick to lift the trophy, with a 71.4% route to the Round of 16 and 30.0% to the quarter-finals. They reach the bracket as Group A winners and begin on Jul 1 in Mexico City (Match 79). Under Javier Aguirre (in charge since 2024), they bring a 6-3-1 recent record (W-D-L) — recent form includes a 2-0 win over Ghana, a 1-0 win over Australia and a 5-1 win over Serbia. See Mexico’s full path in the bracket above.
🇨🇦 Canada — Round of 32 (Group B runners-up)
Canada have locked up Group B runners-up and open the knockout stage on Jun 28 in Los Angeles (Match 73). Action Network’s tournament simulations give them a 52.5% chance to reach the Round of 16, 15.3% to make the quarter-finals and 0.1% to win the World Cup outright. Jesse Marsch’s side arrive on a 4-5-1 record (W-D-L) across their last 10, including a 0-0 draw with Tunisia, a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan and a 1-1 draw with Republic of Ireland. Tap Canada in the bracket above for their full projected path.
🇿🇦 South Africa — Round of 32 (Group A runners-up)
The model makes South Africa a 0.0% pick to lift the trophy, with a 8.1% route to the Round of 16 and 1.6% to the quarter-finals. They reach the bracket as Group A runners-up and begin on Jun 28 in Los Angeles (Match 73). Under Hugo Broos (in charge since 2021), they bring a 5-2-3 recent record (W-D-L) — recent form includes a 1-2 loss to Panama, a 0-0 draw with Nicaragua and a 1-0 win over Jamaica. See South Africa’s full path in the bracket above.
🇧🇦 Bosnia-Herzegovina — Round of 32 (a Round of 32 place)
Bosnia-Herzegovina have locked up a Round of 32 place and open the knockout stage on Jul 2 in Vancouver (Match 85). Action Network’s tournament simulations give them a 13.7% chance to reach the Round of 16, 4.1% to make the quarter-finals and 0.0% to win the World Cup outright. Sergej Barbarez’s side arrive on a 3-6-1 record (W-D-L) across their last 10, including a 1-1 draw with Italy, a 0-0 draw with North Macedonia and a 1-1 draw with Panama. Tap Bosnia-Herzegovina in the bracket above for their full projected path.
