Which World Cup third-place teams will advance to knockout stage? What to know, standings, rules, tiebreakers

The 2026 men's World Cup format is brand new, and it takes some figuring out when it comes to which teams will make the knockout rounds. MORE — World Cup group stage table, full standings As always, the top two teams from each group will reach the Round of 32, but this new format means that the eight best third-place teams will also join them in the last 32. But how that is figured out is explained below, with everything you need to know. World Cup third-place latest standings 1. Sweden - 4 points (0 GD) - QUALIFIED 2. Ecuador - 4 points (0 GD) - QUALIFIED 3. Bosnia and Herzegovina - 4 points (-1 GD) - QUALIFIED 4. Paraguay - 4 points (-2 GD) - QUALIFIED 5. Croatia - 3 points (-1 GD) - Played 2 games 6. South Korea - 3 points (-1 GD) 7. Senegal - 3 points (-2 GD) 8. Algeria - 3 points (-2 GD) - Played 2 games ——————————- 9. Scotland - 3 points (-3 GD) 10. Cape Verde - 2 points (0 GD) - Played 2 games 11. Belgium - 2 points (0 GD) - Played 2 games 12. DR Congo - 1 point (-1 GD) - Played 2 games World Cup third-place tiebreakers, rules 1) Points 2) Goal difference 3) Goals scored 4) Fair play fair score 5) Latest FIFA ranking from June 11, 2026 6) Previous FIFA ranking Which World Cup third-place teams will advance to knockout stage? It seems very likely that Belgium will make it as one of the third-place teams currently out of the top eight, and could even finish as runners up or winners of their group. It's likely that Scotland will miss out, while DR Congo has a big chance of reaching the Round of 32 as they face Uzbekistan in their opener.