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2026 FIFA World Cup: Which third-place teams will reach the knockout stage?
Euronews.com • • general
Key Points:
- The 2026 FIFA World Cup will allow the eight best third-place teams from the group stage to advance to the knockout rounds, determined primarily by points and then goal difference.
- Five teams—Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Senegal—have already secured third-place qualification, with Ecuador notably defeating Germany 2-1 in the group stage.
- According to a model by The Athletic based on tournament simulations, teams with four points as third-place finishers are almost guaranteed to advance, while those with three points depend heavily on goal difference, and two points are unlikely to qualify.
- Groups L, G, K, and J have teams with significant chances of advancing as third-place qualifiers, with Ghana (Group L) having an 86% chance and Iran (Group G) still in contention with a 51% chance.
- South Korea and Scotland remain potential third-place qualifiers with 50% and 5% chances respectively, while critical final group matches on Saturday will finalize the third-place standings and knockout stage participants.
