The 2026 World Cup debuted a new format that completely changed the fight for qualification. In addition to the leaders and sub-leaders of each group, eight teams managed to advance as the best third parties, maintaining the excitement until the last day of the group stage.
With the expansion to 48 teams, FIFA established that the first two in each of the 12 groups would obtain a direct pass to the round of 32. The remaining eight places were defined by a table that brought together all the third places.
The classification of those teams was determined by points, goal difference, goals scored and, if necessary, the FIFA ranking. This caused several teams to depend not only on their result, but also on the scores in other stadiums.
With the group stage concluded, the round of 32 draw was completely defined. The leaders, second places and best third places will now seek a place in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
the 8 best third parties and their crosses
- Sweden: will face France
- Paraguay: will face Germany
- Bosnia-Herzegovina: will face the United States
- Senegal: will face Belgium
- Ecuador: will face Mexico
- DR Congo: will face England
- Algeria: will face Switzerland
- Cape Verde: will face Argentina
With the draw already defined, the 2026 World Cup enters its most intense phase. From now on, each match will be a direct elimination match and a single mistake can mean the end of the road to the title.
Among those classified, teams that advanced as best third parties stand out, such as DR Congo, Paraguay and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The three will seek to extend their historic participation and continue surprising in the knockout phase.