How many groups are there in the 2026 World Cup?

There are 12 groups in the FIFA World Cup 2026 — Groups A through L — each containing 4 teams.

How many teams are in each group at the 2026 World Cup?

Each of the 12 groups contains 4 teams. With 48 teams in total, every team plays 3 group-stage matches.

How many teams advance from the group stage?

The top two teams from each of the 12 groups advance automatically, plus the 8 best third-placed teams — 32 teams in total progress to the round of 32.

When is the 2026 World Cup group stage?

The group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 runs from 2026-06-11 until approximately 2 July 2026.

Group stage · 12 groups

World Cup 2026 Group Standings

The group stage is the opening phase of the FIFA World Cup 2026 football tournament, in which all 48 qualified nations compete across 12 groups of four. The top two from each group advance to the round of 32, joined by the eight best third-placed teams.

Group A

#	Team	P	W	L	GD	Pts
1	Mexico	1	1	0	+2	3
2	Korea Republic	1	1	0	+1	3
3	Czechia	1	0	1	-1	0
4	South Africa	1	0	1	-2	0

Group B

#	Team	P	D	Pts
1	Switzerland	1	1	1
2	Canada	1	1	1
3	Qatar	1	1	1
4	Bosnia-H.	1	1	1

Group C

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Scotland	1	1	0	0	+1	3
2	Morocco	1	0	1	0	0	1
3	Brazil	1	0	1	0	0	1
4	Haiti	1	0	0	1	-1	0

Group D

#	Team	P	W	L	GD	Pts
1	USA	1	1	0	+3	3
2	Australia	1	1	0	+2	3
3	Turkey	1	0	1	-2	0
4	Paraguay	1	0	1	-3	0

Group E

#	Team	P	W	L	GD	Pts
1	Germany	1	1	0	+6	3
2	Ivory Coast	1	1	0	+1	3
3	Ecuador	1	0	1	-1	0
4	Curaçao	1	0	1	-6	0

Group F

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Sweden	1	1	0	0	+4	3
2	Japan	1	0	1	0	0	1
2	Netherlands	1	0	1	0	0	1
4	Tunisia	1	0	0	1	-4	0

Group G

#	Team	P	D	Pts
1	New Zealand	1	1	1
2	Iran	1	1	1
3	Belgium	1	1	1
4	Egypt	1	1	1

Group H

#	Team	P	D	Pts
1	Uruguay	1	1	1
2	Saudi Arabia	1	1	1
3	Spain	1	1	1
4	Cape Verde	1	1	1

Group I

#	Team	P	W	L	GD	Pts
1	Norway	1	1	0	+3	3
2	France	1	1	0	+2	3
3	Senegal	1	0	1	-2	0
4	Iraq	1	0	1	-3	0

Group J

#	Team	P	W	L	GD	Pts
1	Argentina	1	1	0	+3	3
2	Austria	1	1	0	+2	3
3	Jordan	1	0	1	-2	0
4	Algeria	1	0	1	-3	0

Group K

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Congo DR	0	0	0	0	0	0
1	Colombia	0	0	0	0	0	0
1	Portugal	0	0	0	0	0	0
1	Uzbekistan	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group L

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	England	0	0	0	0	0	0
1	Ghana	0	0	0	0	0	0
1	Croatia	0	0	0	0	0	0
1	Panama	0	0	0	0	0	0

Top two qualify for the round of 32 — the 8 best third-placed teams also advance

Group stage

Frequently asked questions

How many groups are there in the 2026 World Cup?: There are 12 groups in the FIFA World Cup 2026 — Groups A through L — each containing 4 teams.
How many teams are in each group at the 2026 World Cup?: Each of the 12 groups contains 4 teams. With 48 teams in total, every team plays 3 group-stage matches.
How many teams advance from the group stage?: The top two teams from each of the 12 groups advance automatically, plus the 8 best third-placed teams — 32 teams in total progress to the round of 32.
When is the 2026 World Cup group stage?: The group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 runs from 2026-06-11 until approximately 2 July 2026.