World Cup third place standings: Updated table, FIFA rankings for last eight teams in Round of 32 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
For the first time at a World Cup, finishing third in your group does not mean going home.
The expanded 48-team format in 2026 hands eight of the 12 third-placed sides a route into the new Round of 32, and with the final round of group games still to come, the race for those eight golden tickets is going down to the wire.
Here is where the third-place standings sit, how they are worked out, and who the qualifiers could meet in the knockouts.
2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets
For the first time at a World Cup, finishing third in your group does not mean going home.
The expanded 48-team format in 2026 hands eight of the 12 third-placed sides a route into the new Round of 32, and with the final round of group games still to come, the race for those eight golden tickets is going down to the wire.
Here is where the third-place standings sit, how they are worked out, and who the qualifiers could meet in the knockouts.
2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets
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