Group Stage Recap 2026

The group stage for this year's 2026 FIFA World Cup™ was wild, we saw a lot of great matches and some upsets as well. We are going to break down the group stage and recap all the action.

How The Group Stage Works

Each group has 4 teams, each team plays 3 games. The top 2 teams in the group go to the knockout stage highlighted in green. All 12 of the 3rd place teams will be ranked based on their performance, and 8 out of 12 of the 3rd place teams will advance to the Knockout Stage highlighted in blue, the other 4 will be eliminated which is highlighted in red. 

Group A

Mexico dominated their group at home beating South Africa 2-1, South Korea 1-0, and Czechia 3-0, moving on to the knockout stage as the first seed in group A. With 6 goals scored by Julián Quiñones with 2 goals, 1 goal scored by Raúl Jiménez, Luis Romo, Mateo Chavez, Alvaro Fidalgo. The goalkeeper Raul Rangel did not let up any goals on 23 shots. Mexico looks very strong going into the knockout stage as they play Ecuador in the round of 32.
South Africa is moving on to the knockout stage as the second seed in group A after beating South Korea 1-0, and drawing with Czechia 1-1. With only 2 goals scored both from Teboho Mokoena. The goalkeeper Ronwen Williams allowed 3 goals on 42 shots but played well when it mattered. This Is South Africa’s best World Cup™performance. This is the first time they are moving on to the knockout stage in history. They will play Canada in the round of 32.
South Koreahas been eliminated from the World Cup™ after only beating Czechia 2-1. South Korea played well in their games and kept the scoring very close but with the team only having 3 points and a negative goal difference they did not make it through with the other third place teams.
Czechia has been eliminated from the World Cup™ only scoring 1 point by drawing South Africa 1-1. Czechia played competitive soccer and fell apart in the second half of all their games. This ends up being one of their worst World Cup™ in history.

Group B

Switzerland tops group B by beating Bosnia 4-1, Canada 2-1 and drawing Qatar 1-1. Switzerland will be moving on to the knockout stage as the first seed in group B. Scoring 7 goals with Johan Manzambia having 3 goals and Ruben Vargas having 2 goals, while Breel Embolo, and Granit Xhana having 1 goal. The goalkeeper Gregor Kobel had 3 goals allowed on 22 shots and looked pretty good in the net. Switzerland will move on to the knockout stage versus Algeria in the round of 32.
Canada played really well by beating Qatar 6-0 and drawing Bosnia 1-1. Canada will be moving on to the knockout stage as the second seed in group B. Canada scored 8 goals with a hat trick from Jonathan David scoring 3 goals, while Cyle Larin scored 2 goals and Nathan Saliba, Promise David scoring 1 goal and an own goal happened as well. The goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau had 3 goals scored on him with 16 shots. This is also Canada’s first time advancing to the knockout stage. They will play South Africa in the round of 32.
Bosnia and Herzegovina played well by beating Qatar 3-1, and drawing Canada 1-1. Bosnia will be moving on to the knockout round as the 3rd seed from pool B after losing the tiebreaker to Canada on goal difference. The team scored 5 goals with 1 being an own goal and Ermin Mahmic scoring 2 goals. While Jovo Lukic, and Kerim Alajbegovic, scored 1 goal. The goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj let up 6 goals on 35 shots. This is also Bosnia and Herzegovina's first time advancing to the knockout stage since becoming an independent country. They will play the United States in the round of 32.
Qatar gets eliminated from the World Cup™ after only getting 1 point from drawing Switzerland 1-1. That was their best game and then it was downhill from there but this was also a hard group for them. Qatar is still winless at the World Cup™ after not getting a win in 2022 or 2026.

Group C

Brazil tops group C beating Haiti 3-0 and Scotland 3-0 while drawing Morocco 1-1. Brazil will get the first seed in group C after beating Morocco in the tiebreaker on goal difference. The team scored 7 goals with Vinicius Junior scoring 4 goals and Matheus Cunha scoring 3. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker only gave up 1 goal on 32 shots which is pretty good. Brazil will move on to the round of 32 versus Japan.
Morocco played very well in group C beating Scotland 1-0 and Haiti 4-2, while drawing Brazil 1-1. Morocco will get the second seed in group C after losing to Brazil in the tiebreaker on goal difference. Morocco scored 6 goals by Ismael Saibari with 3 goals scored and Achraf Hakimi, Soufiane Rahimi, Gessime Yassine all scoring 1 goal. The goalkeeper Yassine Bounou let up 3 goals on 21 shots. Morocco will face the Netherlands as they move on to the round of 32.
Scotland has been eliminated at the World Cup™ only beating Haiti 1-0. Scotland played competitive versus Morocco but this was a hard group and Scotland only had 3 points and a negative goal difference which was not enough to get through to the bracket with the other third place ranked teams.
Haiti is the first team to be eliminated at this year's World Cup™, after losing to Scotland 0-1, Brazil 0-3, Morocco 2-4. The last World Cup™ Haiti played in was 1974 where they went without a win.

Group D

The United States tops group D beating Paraguay 4-1, Australia 2-0 and moving on to the knockout stage as the first seed in group D. The United States scored 8 goals with 2 own goals happening from Paraguay and Australia. Jerry Balogun scored 2 goals, while Giovanni Reyna, Alexander Freeman, Auston Trusty, and Sebastian Berhalter had 1 goal. Goalkeeper Matt Freese only gave up 1 goal on 13 shots. That could be a concern moving forward but the United States look strong going into the knockout stage as they play Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
Australia gets through to the knockout stage as the second seed in group D after beating Turkiye 2-0 and drawing Paraguay 0-0. Australia is in second place after beating Paraguay on the tiebreaker. The team only scored 2 goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe. Goalkeeper Patrick Beach only let up 2 goals on 44 shots and played great in this tournament. Australia will play Egypt in the round of 32.
Paraguay gets through to the knockout stage as the third seed in group D beating Turkiye 1-0 and drawing Australia 0-0. Paraguay scored 2 goals from Mauricio Prado and Matias Galarza. The goalkeeper Orlando Gill gave up 4 goals on 62 shots which is the most shots on a goalkeeper in the group stage. Paraguay moves on to the round of 32 and will play Germany.
Turkiye was eliminated from the World Cup™ in group D losing to Australia 0-2, Paraguay 0-1. Turkey had possession of the ball versus Australia for the majority of the game but could not get any goals on 28 shots. Turkiye lost to Paraguay after giving up a goal in the first 64 seconds. In their final game they played well versus the United States but it was too little too late. After coming in 3rd place in their last World Cup™ in 2002 and not scoring a goal in 2026 this one is going to hurt for Turkiye.

Group E

Germany will be moving on to the knockout stage at the first seed in group E after dominating group E by scoring 10 goals and beating Curacao 7-1, Ivory Coast 2-1. Deniz Undav scored 3 goals and Felix Nmecha, Nico Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, and Leroy Sane all scored 1 goal. The goalkeeper Manuel Neuer gave up 4 goals on 24 shots which could be a concern moving forward. Germany is looking strong heading into the round of 32 vs Paraguay.
Ivory Coast is moving on as the second seed in group E beating Ecuador 1-0, Curacao 2-0. Ivory Coast lost the first seed to Germany on head to head tiebreaker. Scoring 4 goals with 2 from Nicolas Pepe and 1 each from Franck Yannick and Amad Diallo. Goalkeeper Yahia Fofana only gave up 2 goals on 36 shots. Ivory Coast is playing versus Norway in the round of 32.
Ecuador is moving on as the third seed in group E beating Germany 2-1, and drawing Curacao 0-0. Having 4 points and having an even goal difference means they have secured their spot in the third place rankings. The team had 2 goals from Nilson Angulo and Gonzalo Plata. Goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez only let up 2 goals with 37 shots. Ecuador will play Mexico in the round of 32.
Curacao is eliminated from the World Cup™ after only scoring 1 point by drawing Ecuador 0-0. This was Curacao’s first World Cup™ and they are going to go winless in 2026 but we will see if they are able to bounce back for the 2030 World Cup™.

Group F

Netherlands dominated in group F beating Sweden 5-1, Tunisia 3-1 and drawing Japan 2-2. The Netherlands will get the first seed in group F. The team tallied 10 goals with 1 own goal from Tunisia. Brain Brobbey scored 3 goals while Cysencio Summerville, and Cody Gakpo scored 2 goals and Virgil Van Dijk, and Jan Van Hecke scored 1 goal. The goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen gave up 4 goals on 39 shots. The Netherlands will play Morocco in the round of 32.
Japan got the second seed in group F by beating Tunisia 4-0 and drawing Netherlands 2-2 and Sweden 1-1. Daichi Kamada and Daizen Maeda scored 2 goals a piece while Keito Nakamura, Ayase Ueda, Junya Ito, scored 1 goal. Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki only gave up 3 goals on 24 shots in the group stage. Japan will have a very tough run in the knockout stage first playing Brazil in the round of 32.
Sweden played well and got the third seed in group F by beating Tunisia 5-1 and drawing Japan 1-1. Since Sweden had 4 points and an even goal difference they are moving on to the knockout stage from the third place rankings. Scoring 7 goals with Yasin Ayari and Anthony Elanga scoring 2 goals while Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres, Mattias Svanberg scoring 1 goal. The goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt gave up 7 goals on 25 shots which is one of the worst save percentages we have seen at the World Cup™. Sweden will play France in the round of 32. 
Tunisia gets eliminated from the World Cup™ in group F losing to Sweden 1-5, Japan 0-4, Netherlands 1-3. The first half versus Sweden was competitive only being 1-1 but they gave up 4 goals to Sweden the rest of the game. This has been the same story for Tunisia for the last 3 World Cups™ getting eliminated in the group stage.

Group G

Belgium topped group G beating New Zealand 5-1 and drawing Egypt 1-1 and Iran 0-0. Belgium will have the first seed in group G after beating Egypt on tiebreaker in goal difference. Belgium scored 6 goals with 1 being an own goal from Egypt. Leandro Tossard scored 2 goals while Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Saelemaekers all scored 1 goal. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois only gave up 2 goals on 27 shots and played very well. Belgium will be facing Senegal in the round of 32.
Egypt dominated in group G by beating New Zealand 3-1 and drawing Belgium 1-1 and Iran 1-1. Egypt scored 5 goals with Emam Ashour, Mostafa Ziko, Mohamed Salah, Mahmoud Trezeguet, and Mahmoud Saber all scoring 1 goal. The goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir gave up 3 goals on 37 shots. Egypt will play Australia in the round of 32.
Iran has been eliminated in this year’s World Cup™ after having 3 draws. Iran just missed out from the knockout stage by goal difference versus Senegal coming in ninth place in the third place rankings. But Iran played competitive soccer and just had a hard group. They needed some luck to move on.
New Zealand has been eliminated from the World Cup™ scoring only 1 point by drawing Iran. New Zealand did not play well in the two other games versus Egypt and Belgium. It's another group stage exit for New Zealand.

Group H

Spain dominated in Group H by beating Saudi Arabia 4-0, Uruguay 1-0 and drawing Cabo Verde 0-0. Spain scored 5 goals with an own goal from Saudi Arabia. Mikel Oyarzabal scored 2 goals while Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Baena scored 1 goal. Goalkeeper Unai Simón was locked in and did not give up any goals on 15 shots. Spain will play Austria in the round of 32.
Cabo Verde is moving on to the knockout stage as the second seed in group H in their first World Cup™. By having 3 draws and playing well versus Spain and Uruguay. Cabo Verde scored 2 goals from Kevin Pina and Helio Varela. The goalkeeper Vozinha only gave up 2 goals on 45 shots and went viral after drawing Spain with how well he played. Cabo Verde will play Argentina in the round of 32.
Uruguay is eliminated from the World Cup™ after only getting 2 points from draws. This was an upset for sure. Many fans had Spain and Uruguay making it out of this group but they were not able to secure a win versus Cabo Verde or Saudi Arabia. Pretty disappointing World Cup™ from Uruguay and we will see how they do in the 2030 World Cup™ which they have already qualified for.
Saudi Arabia is eliminated from the World Cup™ in a pretty hard group. We will see if they are able to bounce back in the 2030 World Cup™ before hosting the World Cup™ in 2034.

Group J

Argentina dominated group J by beating Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0, Jordan 3-1. The team will move on to the knockout stage as the first seed in group J. Argentina scored 8 goals with 6 of them coming from Lionel Messi while Giovani Celso and Lautaro Martinez scored 1 goal. The goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gave up 1 goal on 17 shots and was pretty commanding in the net. Argentina will play Cabo Verde in the round of 32.
Austria is moving on to the knockout stage as the second seed in group J by beating Jordan 3-1 and drawing Algeria 3-3. Austria beat Algeria for the second seed on a goal difference tiebreaker. Austria scored 6 goals with 1 being an own goal from Jordan and Marko Arnautovic had 2 goals. While Romano Schmid, Marcel Sabitzer, and Sasa Kalajdzic all scored 1 goal. The goalkeeper Alexander Schlager gave up 6 goals on 34 shots. Austria will play Spain in the round of 32.
Algeria is moving on to the knockout stage as the third seed in group J by beating Jordan 2-1 and drawing Austria 3-3. Algeria lost the tiebreaker for the second seed to Austria on goal difference. Algeria scored 5 goals with Riyad Mahrez scoring 2 goals while Rafik Belghali, Amine Gouiri, and Ahmed Benbouali all scored 1 goal. The goalkeeper  Luca Zidane gave up 4 goals on 17 shots. Algeria will play Switzerland in the round of 32.
Jordan gets eliminated from the World Cup™ in group J losing to Austria 1-3, Algeria 1-2, Argentina 1-3. All their games were competitive in the first halves, beating Algeria 1-0 and almost tied with Austria at 1-1 but could not hold it together in the second half and ended up losing and getting knocked out of the World Cup™. With this being Jordan’s first World Cup™, time will tell if they will come back stronger in 2030.

Group K

Colombia dominated group K by beating Uzbekistan 3-1, DR Congo 1-0 and drawing Portugal 0-0. The team moved on as the first seed in Group K. Colombia scored 4 goals with Daniel Munoz scoring 2 goals while Luis Diaz and Jaminton Campoz scored 1 goal. Goalkeeper Camilo Vargas gave up 1 goal on 27 shots Colombia will play Ghana in the round of 32.
Portugal made it through group K by beating Uzbekistan 5-0 and drawing DR Congo 1-1 and Colombia 0-0. Portugal scored 6 goals with an own goal coming from Uzbekistan. Christian Ronaldo has 2 goals scored while Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, and Rafael Leao scored 1 goal. The goalkeeper Diogo Costa gave up 1 goal on 28 shots. Portugal will play Croatia in the round of 32.
DR Congo advanced to the knockout stage after beating Uzbekistan 3-1 and drawing Portugal 1-1. Four points was enough to put through with the third place teams. DR Congo scored 4 goals with Yoane Wissa having 3 goals and Mayele Kalala having 1 goal. The goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi gave up 3 goals on 32 shots which is very good for the teams they had to face. DR Congo will play England in the round of 32.
Uzbekistan was eliminated from the World Cup™ after not being able to pick up a win or a draw in their first World Cup™.

Group L

England dominated in group L by beating Croatia 4-2, Panama 2-0, and drawing Ghana 0-0. Moving on as the first seed in group L. England scored 6 goals with Harry Kane scoring 3 goals while Jude Bellingham scoring 2 goals and Marcus Rashford scored 1 goal. The goalkeeper

Jordan Pickford gave up 2 goals on 22 shots. England will play DR Congo in the round of 32.
Croatia is moving on to the knockout stage as the second seed in group L beating Panama 1-0 and Ghana 2-1. Croatia scored 5 goals with Martin Baturina, Petar Musa, Ante Budimir, Petar Sucic, and Nikola Vlasic all scoring 1 goal. The goalkeeper Dominik Livaković gave up 5 goals on 34 shots. Croatia will play Portugal in the round of 32.
Ghana is moving on to the knockout stage with the third place rankings by beating Panama 1-0 and drawing with England 0-0. Ghana scored 2 goals with Caleb Yirenkyi and Derrick Luckassen scoring 1 goal. The goalkeeper Benjamin Asare gave up 2 goals on 27 shots. Ghana will play Colombia in the round of 32.
Panama is eliminated from the World Cup™ after not being able to score a goal. In Panama’s 6 World Cup™ matches in 2018 and 2026 they failed to get a win or a draw. They were able to keep the game close but they were the only country to not score a goal in the 2026 World Cup™.

3rd Place Teams Ranked

8 out of the 12 third place teams are on their way to the round of 32 those teams being DR Congo, Sweden, Ghana Ecuador, Bosnia and Herzgevoina, Algeria, Paraguay, and Sengal. This is the first time FIFA has tried this format at a World Cup™ and if you had 4 points you were into the round of 32, with a 4 team tiebreaker for the last spot all coming down to goal difference for the teams on 3 points. But for the first time trying this format I think it worked out pretty well because you were able to see the teams that were out or had a chance if matches and scores went their way.

Conclusion

From 48 teams down to 32 teams as the World Cup™ continues into the Knockout Stage starting with the Round of 32. We will be making recaps for each round of the World Cup™ so stay tuned for those posts soon. Enjoy the rest of the World Cup™, Mansfield!