The group stage of the 2026 World Cup is still underway, but the first decisions have already been made. Which teams have already secured their spot in the Round of 32—and which ones are already out.
Of the 48 teams that made it to this XXL World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, 32 will advance to the knockout stage, while 16 will be packing their bags after the group stage.
The first teams have already booked their spots in the round of 16, while others have already been eliminated. An overview of the situation in the groups:
Group A
Mexico is the first nation to secure a spot in the Round of 32. After two wins in two games, the co-host can no longer be displaced from first place.
Qualified for the Round of 32: Mexico
Group C
Haiti, competing in the World Cup for the first time since 1974, was the first team to have to plan its return home.
Eliminated: Haiti
Group D
Two outcomes are already certain: With its second loss, Turkey has failed to advance to the knockout stage. The U.S. advances to the Round of 16 as group winner.
Qualified for the Round of 16: U.S.
Eliminated: Turkey
Group E
Germany secured its spot in the next round with a last-minute victory over Ivory Coast—then Curaçao helped the German team clinch first place in the group early with a surprising 0–0 draw against Ecuador.
Qualified for the Round of 16: Germany
Group F
After a 1–5 loss to Sweden and a coaching change, Tunisia also fell 0–4 to Japan, which meant an early exit.
Eliminated: Tunisia
Group I
Following France’s 3–0 victory over Iraq and Norway’s 3–2 win over Senegal shortly thereafter, two teams had already secured their spots in the Round of 32 in Group I after just the second matchday.
Qualified for the Round of 32: France and Norway
Group J
Lionel Messi, the new World Cup all-time leading scorer, has now scored five goals in just two matches—three in the 3-0 opening victory over Algeria and two in the 2-0 win over Austria. Messi has thus virtually single-handedly propelled Argentina into the knockout stage; following Jordan’s 1–2 loss to Algeria, it is also certain that Argentina will top the group, while Jordan has been eliminated early.
Qualified for the Round of 32: Argentina
Eliminated: Jordan
Group K
Colombia was the only team in the group to win its first two matches, thereby qualifying early for the round of 32.
Qualified for the round of 32: Colombia
Group L
After losing its opener to Ghana, Panama was officially eliminated from the World Cup following a 0–1 loss to Croatia in its second group match.
Eliminated: Panama