The group phase of the 2026 World Cup delivered its final batch of qualifiers on Saturday, leaving only four places still to be claimed in a 32-team knockout bracket that will open on Sunday. Spain’s 1-0 victory over Uruguay in Mexico City, secured by Alex Baena’s goal, eliminated the South Americans and confirmed the progress of England, Portugal, Ghana and Egypt before they had even played their last group matches. Cape Verde, the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup knockout stage, held Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw in Texas to finish second in Group H and set up a meeting with defending champions Argentina.

Across the 12 groups, the expanded 48-team format has reshaped the arithmetic of survival. The top two from each section advance automatically, joined by the eight best third-placed sides. That threshold fell to four points after results in Groups F and H, meaning teams with that tally could no longer be caught by the third-placed finishers in several completed pools. Paraguay, who had already played all three matches, were among the first to benefit, while Belgium’s progress as Group G winners was confirmed when Iran and Egypt drew 1-1, leaving the Red Devils top on goal difference.

Viewed from African capitals, the tournament has already delivered a historic return. Six of the continent’s ten representatives — Morocco, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana and Cape Verde — are through to the round of 32. Ghana secured their place ahead of a final group fixture against Croatia, knowing that four points from a win over Panama and a draw with England were sufficient. Cape Verde’s achievement, built on three consecutive draws, has been celebrated as a landmark for a country of fewer than 600,000 people. Tunisia, by contrast, are eliminated, while Senegal, Algeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo must wait to learn if their records will earn one of the remaining best-third-place slots.

The knockout bracket is already studded with high-profile pairings. Brazil will face Japan, the Netherlands meet Morocco, and the United States take on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Canada’s reward for advancing from Group B is a tie against South Africa, while co-hosts Mexico await the identity of their opponents. The final group matches on Sunday — in Groups J, K and L — will determine the last four qualifiers and settle the seeding of teams such as Argentina, Colombia, Portugal and England, who are already assured of progress but can still influence their paths through the draw.

The round of 32 will be played from 28 June to 4 July, with the winners moving into a last-16 stage that will run from 5 to 8 July. The tournament’s first 48-team knockout phase has compressed the margin for error: a single defeat now ends a campaign, and the presence of eight third-placed survivors has kept more nations alive deeper into the competition than any previous World Cup.