WC26 Daily Hub · Knockout Stage · Round of 32

The 26 Standings

7 of 32 knockout matches played

Knockout stageThe bracket is live →Round of 32 through the Final · projected winners and advance odds, updated as results land
Today

Wednesday, July 1 · 3 knockout matches

The group stage is done. All 72 matches have been played across 21 days, the standings are settled, and the World Cup now belongs entirely to the knockout rounds. There is a certain stillness to a Wednesday with no fixtures after the relentless churn of the past three weeks — a moment to take stock before the tournament reshapes itself into the single-elimination logic that turns draws into exits and favored sides into cautionary tales. The round of 32 begins Thursday, and from here every result is final in the most literal sense. No second chances, no goal-difference arithmetic to hide behind. Wednesday, then, is a rare pause: the last quiet day until a champion is eventually found.

— the morning line, generated from the day's data

R32 → Final

The Bracket

A winner is highlighted and advances the moment its tie is played. Switch to the model’s projected finish for the run of the whole bracket.

Real results only. Every group winner, runner-up and the eight best thirds (slotted by the FIFA Annex C logic) drop into their fixed slots; then a winner is highlighted and advances the moment its tie is played, with the loser struck out. The rounds beyond fill in as games finish — nothing here is projected.

Projected championArgentina

Every remaining game simulated from the model's goal rates and run through the whole bracket — a full scenario, not a forecast of who qualifies.