World Cup 2026 Wall Chart

FIFA expanded the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 for 2026, the biggest format change since 1998. The 48 teams are split into 12 groups of 4, with the top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advancing into a Round of 32. That gives you 104 matches in total across 39 days, up from the 64 matches of previous editions.

Hosting is split between three countries (USA, Canada, Mexico) across 16 cities including New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Mexico City, Toronto and Vancouver. The opener is on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City and the final lands on 19 July 2026 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The wall chart in this tool reflects the new format: 12 groups, the Round of 32 stage, and the standard knockout path from there (R16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, final).

Each group plays 6 matches over the first two and a half weeks of the tournament. The chart lets you log Wins, Draws and Losses per team and tracks Points automatically, with 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw. FIFA's tiebreakers go in this order: total points, then goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head record, then yellow/red card record, then a FIFA ranking draw. Most fans only ever need to apply the first three.

The third-placed team mechanic is the trickiest part of the new format and the bit most people get wrong on their first wall chart. Eight of the twelve third-placed teams progress, ranked across all groups by the same criteria above. That means a third-placed team in a tough group can absolutely qualify ahead of a runner-up from an easy group, and the bracket pairings on the Round of 32 are not finalised until every group's last match has played out. Pencil rather than pen is the wise choice.

The Round of 32 starts on 28 June 2026 and runs until 3 July. The Round of 16 plays from 4 to 7 July. Quarter-finals are on 9 to 11 July, semi-finals on 14 and 15 July, the third-place play-off on 18 July, and the final on 19 July. That is one extra knockout round compared to 2022, which is why the tournament is roughly a week longer overall.

Each knockout match is a single elimination tie with extra time and penalties if needed. The wall chart in this tool fills the bracket automatically as you input results, so a knockout slot named 'Winner of A1 vs B/F/C 3rd' will automatically show the actual qualified team once you have logged the relevant group-stage results. Pin it on the office wall, the kitchen wall, the classroom corkboard or the pub noticeboard and update it after every match. If you also want to run a friends-and-family prediction competition, pair this with the [tournament bracket generator](/tournament-bracket-generator) for the knockout pool, and the [betting odds calculator](/betting-odds-calculator) if you want to compare your gut picks against bookmaker pricing.

The free version exports the chart as a JPG with a small watermark, which prints fine on A4 or A3 home printers. The premium PDF download (£1.99 one-off) is print-ready at 300 DPI, formatted for A2 if you want a proper kitchen-wall poster, with cleaner typography, no watermark and a fillable layout designed for ballpoint pen rather than fine-tip marker. It is the version most parents end up buying the night before the tournament starts, when the kids want a chart on the wall before the opening match.

If you are using this for a workplace sweepstake or pub competition, print one master copy for the wall and give participants their own filled-in predictions using the same format. The Round of 32 expansion makes the bracket noticeably wider than 2022 charts, so anything smaller than A3 starts to feel cramped once you are deep into the knockouts.