The biggest World Cup football, which features as many as 48 teams competing for the crown, saw its group stage coming to an end on Saturday (June 27). Sixteen teams were eliminated at the end of the preliminary rounds and 32 advancing to the knock-out stage. All the three co-hosts of the tournament, the US, Canada and Mexico were among those qualified.

Round of 32 begins on June 28

The Round of 32 will kick off on Sunday (June 28) with South Africa taking on Canada in Inglewood, California, the US. Seven of the eight teams that have won the World Cup title so far (Italy could not qualify this year) have made it to the second round.

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Sixteen matches will be played over a period of six days (till July 3). Twelve of these games will be hosted in the US and two each in Mexico and Canada. The final will be held in the US on July 19.

The teams were divided into 12 groups with four teams each. While the top two teams from each group advanced to the Group of 32 straight, eight best third-placed teams (goal difference considered if points are same) joined them.

Teams that qualified for Round of 32

Here are the teams from each group that qualified for the Round of 32 (first, second and third in order):

Group A: Mexico, South Africa

Group B: Switzerland, Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Group C: Brazil, Morocco

Group D: USA, Australia and Paraguay

Group E: Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador

Group F: The Netherlands, Japan, Sweden

Group G: Belgium, Egypt

Group H: Spain, Cape Verde

Group I: France, Norway, Senegal

Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria

Group K: Colombia, Portugal, DR Congo

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana

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Round of 32 games, venues, Indian timings

Here is the full FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 schedule with their IST timings:

Monday, June 29

South Africa vs Canada, Inglewood, USA — 12.30 am IST

Brazil vs Japan, Houston, USA — 10.30 pm IST

Tuesday, June 30

Germany vs Portugal, Foxborough, USA — 2 am IST

Netherlands vs Morocco, Guadalupe, Mexico — 6.30 am IST

Ivory Coast vs Norway, Arlington, USA — 10.30 pm IST

Wednesday, July 1

France vs Sweden, Rutherford, USA — 2.30 am IST

Mexico vs Ecuador, Mexico City, Mexico — 6.30 am IST

England vs DR Congo, Atlanta, USA — 9.30 pm IST

Thursday, July 2

Belgium vs Senegal, Seattle, USA — 1.30 am IST

USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, Santa Clara, USA — 5.30 am IST

Friday, July 3

Spain vs Austria, Inglewood, USA — 12.30 am IST

Portugal vs Croatia, Toronto, Canada — 4.30 am IST

Switzerland vs Algeria, Vancouver, Canada — 8.30 am IST

Australia vs Egypt, Arlington, USA — 11.30 pm IST

Saturday, July 4

Argentina vs Cape Verde, Miami, USA — 3.30 am IST

Colombia vs Ghana, Kansas, USA — 7 am IST