Bolão Elite
Interactive Simulator

World Cup 2026 Simulator

Build your full FIFA World Cup 2026 bracket. Choose the qualifiers, simulate each knockout round and discover your champion.

48 national teams · 12 groups of 4 · 104 matches · USA, Canada and Mexico

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Interactive Simulator

Build your bracket, pick the qualifiers from each group and simulate the path to the grand final.

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About the Competition

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the first edition with 48 national teams, hosted across three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament kicks off in June 2026 with matches in 16 host cities.

The new format features 12 groups of 4 national teams. The top two from each group (24 teams) advance automatically, along with the 8 best third-placed teams, for a total of 32 teams in the knockout stage.

The knockout stage begins with the round of 32 and continues with the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off and the grand final. Every knockout match is a single game.

The World Cup 2026 final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (USA), which holds more than 82,000 fans.

Trivia and Highlights

  • The first World Cup with 48 national teams in FIFA history
  • Hosted across 3 countries: USA, Canada and Mexico
  • 104 matches in total — a World Cup record
  • 16 host cities across 3 countries
  • Final at MetLife Stadium (New Jersey, USA)
  • The 8 best third-placed teams advance to the knockouts
  • New format: 12 groups of 4 national teams
  • Every knockout match is a single game (no two legs)

Rules and Regulations

Understand the competition format, qualification criteria and knockout rules.

  • 148 national teams split into 12 groups of 4 (Group A to Group L)
  • 2Each team plays 3 matches in the group stage (round-robin)
  • 3Win = 3 points, Draw = 1 point, Loss = 0 points
  • 4The top 2 of each group advance automatically (24 teams)
  • 5The 8 best third-placed teams also advance, for 32 teams in the knockout stage
  • 1Highest number of points earned across all group matches
  • 2Goal difference across all group matches
  • 3Highest number of goals scored across all group matches
  • 4Head-to-head record between the tied teams (points, goal difference and goals)
  • 5Fair Play (fewer yellow and red cards)
  • 6FIFA draw (last resort)
  • 1After the group stage, the 12 third-placed teams are ranked against each other
  • 2The 8 best advance to the round of 32
  • 3Criteria: points, goal difference, goals scored, fair play, draw
  • 4The position in the knockout bracket depends on which group the third-placed team came from
  • 1Round of 32: 16 matches — 32 teams
  • 2Round of 16: 8 matches — 16 teams
  • 3Quarter-finals: 4 matches — 8 teams
  • 4Semi-finals: 2 matches — 4 teams
  • 5Third-place play-off: 1 match
  • 6Final: 1 match
  • 7Every match is a single game (no two legs)
  • 1If tied after regulation: 30 minutes of extra time (two 15-minute halves)
  • 2If still tied: penalty shootout
  • 3Each team may make up to 5 substitutions per match (6 in extra time)
  • 4VAR (Video Assistant Referee) will be used in every match
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