The 2026 World Cup is the first to be staged across three nations and the first with 48 teams, split into twelve groups of four. This hub is your guide to every group: the teams involved, how they're ranked, and what to watch as the group stage plays out. For live scores, the knockout bracket and player stats, head to the live tracker.
The format itself rewards patience as much as power. Alongside the twelve group winners and twelve runners-up, the eight best third-placed teams across the whole tournament also advance to the round of 32 — so a side that finishes third in a tough group can still go through, while a side that finishes third in an easier group might not. That single rule shapes how every team in every group approaches their three games.