The World Cup’s opening stage has featured three days of thrilling, group-ending simultaneous action (the kind of action that won’t be possible starting in 2026, if FIFA continues on its current plan regarding World Cup expansion), and as a result, the knockout bracket is coming into focus.
With one day of group play remaining in Qatar, six of the eight round-of-16 games are set, with three-quarters of each side of the knockout bracket already known. One team that has already secured its last-16 berths, Brazil out of Group G, is just waiting to find out where it finishes in its group, while the other spot from its group remains to be clinched. The three teams that haven’t yet clinched are all still alive, which sets up what should be a hectic finish to what’s already been a wild set of group finales featuring twists (remember when both Germany and Spain were going out for a three-minute stretch?), upsets (hello, group-winning Morocco!) and plenty of drama.
As a result, here’s a look at the World Cup bracket, in order as it will be situated. On each half, the winners of the top two matchups will meet in the quarterfinals, as will the winners of the bottom two. Those winners will then meet in the semis, feeding into the title match on Dec. 18 in Lusail.
