All 12 groups

There are twelve groups labelled A through L, each containing four nations, which accounts for all 48 qualified teams before knockout play begins.

The top two finishers in every group (24 teams) advance automatically. Eight of the twelve third-place teams also qualify using FIFA tie-breakers, producing a 32-team knockout bracket that starts with the Round of 32.

Round-robin group play runs 11–26 June 2026 across North America; once every group finishes, the bracket re-seeds into knockouts with kickoffs beginning 28 June 2026.

There are 72 group matches—each of the 12 groups plays a round-robin of six fixtures.

FIFA does not name one official “group of death”; compare strength of seeds, rankings, and form in each group’s preview on this site.

No—the USA, Mexico, and Canada are kept in separate groups so each host nation can anchor different host cities.

Tiebreakers run in order: points, goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head among tied teams, fair play, then a draw if still level.

The eight best third-place records across all groups join the 24 group winners and runners-up in the Round of 32.