World Cup 2026 groups (A to L)
The 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup are divided into 12 groups of four, from Group A to Group L. This page lets you jump into any group to see its four teams, full fixtures, kickoff times and live standings. In the United States, the matches are shown in Spanish on Telemundo and Universo, with the biggest games free over the air, and every match streams in Spanish on Peacock.
How the group stage works
Within each group, every team plays the other three once, for three group-stage matches each. A win is worth three points, a draw one, a loss none. The top two teams in each group advance automatically to the new Round of 32, and the eight best third-placed teams across all 12 groups join them. That is the biggest change from the old 32-team format: finishing third is no longer automatic elimination, which keeps far more teams alive into the final matchday.
Tiebreakers and goal difference
When teams finish level on points, the first tiebreaker is goal difference, then goals scored, then the head-to-head result between the tied teams. Because the third-placed places are decided by comparing teams across different groups, goal difference can be the single most important number in the whole group stage — a late goal in a match that looks decided can be the difference between a place in the Round of 32 and a flight home.
Watching the groups in Spanish
Each group page links to every match in that group, and from there to the team and stadium guides. For Spanish-speaking fans in the US, the route is the same throughout: the biggest matches air free over the air on Telemundo, Universo adds cable coverage, and Peacock streams all 104 matches in Spanish. Kickoff times on every group page are shown in your own time zone so you always know exactly when to tune in.
The third-placed race
One feature of the 48-team format makes the group stage unusually tense: the chase for the eight best third-placed teams. Because third place can still mean qualification, teams that might once have been eliminated stay alive, and the comparison happens across all 12 groups at once. That turns goal difference, and even a single late goal, into something that can decide a place in the Round of 32 — sometimes for a team that has already finished its matches and can only watch the other groups play out. Each group page shows the standings live, so you can follow exactly where the third-placed cut-off sits.
From the groups to the knockouts
Once the 12 groups are settled, the tournament switches to single elimination. The 32 qualifiers are seeded into a bracket, and the order in which teams finish their group shapes the path ahead: topping the group generally means a more favourable route than scraping through in second or as a best third. From the Round of 32 onward, one defeat ends the run, all the way to the final. Following the groups closely is the best way to understand the knockout bracket before it begins, and every group page links through to the matches that decide it.