World Cup 2026 is here, and it is historic. It’s the first-ever World Cup to feature 48 teams and also the first to have three host nations. As the 104 matches get going over the next 38 days in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, casual soccer watchers and diehard football fans are in for a real treat. So, with that in mind, here is everything you need to know about the planet’s biggest soccer tournament in our ClutchPoints’ mega World Cup preview.
A new World Cup format in 2026
For the first time since 1998 in France, when the World Cup went from 24 teams to 32, the field has expanded. With 48 teams, it means a new Knockout Stage format.
Before, with eight groups and the top two finishers in each Group going through to the Round of 16, things were easy. Now, there is one additional knockout phase, with a Round of 32 coming between the Group Stage and the Round of 16. So, how do we get from 48 to 32?
Well, it starts with the top two finishers in each group advancing, which gets us to 24 teams. That means to get to 32 countries, the eight best third-place finishers in the Group Stage will move on to the Round of 32.
How will this new format change the face of the World Cup? We have no idea yet, but with an extra round of win-or-go-home matches, there could be a lot more chaos.
Group Stage predictions
In this World Cup 2026 mega preview, we’re going to pick every group. Below, you’ll see each group in order of predicted finish, with the 32 teams moving on to the Knockout Rounds in bold.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F |
| Mexico | Canada | Brazil | USMNT | Germany | Netherlands |
| Czechia | Switzerland | Morroco | Turkiye | Ecuador | Japan |
| South Korea | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Scotland | Australia | Ivory Coast | Sweden |
| South Africa | Qatar | Haiti | Paraguay | Curacao | Tunisia |
| Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L |
| Belgium | Spain | Norway | Argentina | Portugal | England |
| Iran | Uruguay | France | Austria | Colombia | Croatia |
| New Zealand | Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Algeria | Uzebkistan | Ghana |
| Egypt | Cape Verde | Iraq | Jordan | DR Congo | Panama |
The 10 best Group Stage matches
With the addition of 16 teams to the 2026 World Cup, there are going to be some snoozers. Let’s be honest. If you want to skip Germany vs. Curacao or Spain vs. Cape Verde, those are probably good ones to miss.
That said, here are the 10 Group Stage matches you absolutely don’t want to miss, ranked.
10. England vs. Ghana — Tues, June 23, 1 pm ET
9. Norway vs. Senegal — Mon, June 22, 8 pm ET
8. France vs. Senegal — Tues, June 16, 3 pm ET
7. Argentina vs Austria — Mon, June 22, 1 pm ET
6. USMNT vs. Turkiye — Thurs, June 25, 10 pm ET
5. Spain vs. Uruguay — Fri, June 26, 8 pm ET
4. Portugal vs. Colombia — Sat, June 27, 7:30 pm ET
3. Brazil vs. Morocco — Sat, June 13, 6 pm ET
2. England vs. Croatia — Wed, June 17, 4 pm ET
1. France vs. Norway — Fri, June 26, 3 pm ET
In the U.S., you can watch all these games on FOX and in Spanish on Telemundo and Peacock.
Knockout Round predictions
With the 32 teams above predicted to move on in the 2026 World Cup, here are our Knockout Stage predictions with the winners in bold.
Round of 32
Germany vs. Australia
Norway vs. Scotland
Czechia vs. Switzerland
Netherlands vs. Morocco
Colombia vs. Croatia
Spain vs. Austria
USMNT vs. Senegal
Belgium vs. South Korea
Brazil vs. Japan
Ecuador vs. France
Mexico vs. Sweden
England vs. Uzbekistan
Argentina vs. Uruguay
Turkiye vs. Iran
Canada vs. Algeria
Portugal vs. Ghana
Round of 16
Germany vs. Norway
Switzerland vs. Netherlands
Colombia vs. Spain
USMNT vs. Belgium
Brazil vs. France
Sweden vs. England
Argentina vs. Turkiye
Canada vs. Portugal
Quarterfinals
Norway vs. Netherlands
Spain vs. USMNT
France vs. England
Argentina vs. Portugal
Semifials
Norway vs. Spain
England vs. Portugal
What happens in a Spain-Portugal World Cup 2026 Final?
Spain vs. Portugal
These are two of the most talented teams in the competition going head to head, just like they did last year in the UEFA Nations League Final. In that match, the “Iberian derby” came down to penalties after an incredibly exciting 2-2 draw. Ultimately, Diogo Costa saved Alvaro Morata’s penalty, while Ruben Neves buried the next one for Portugal.
This one will also be close, but it will be settled in the standard 90 minutes. Our 2026 World Cup Final prediction is that Portugal beats Spain 3-2.
And with that, four years after Lionel Messi hoisted the World Cup trophy with Argentina, cementing his status as the GOAT in the minds of many, Cristiano Ronaldo does the same in his record sixth World Cup with Portugal. This reopens the debate of who is the greatest of all time (Messi? Ronaldo? Pele?) and puts a historic cap on the first-ever 48-team World Cup.
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