World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Confirmed: All 32 Teams Through, Socceroos Drawn With Egypt

The expanded group phase of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is complete. All 72 group matches have been played across the 12 groups, the Round of 32 bracket is locked in, and — most importantly for fans at home — the Socceroos are through, advancing as Group D runners-up and drawn against Egypt in the first knockout round.

Here is the full picture of who qualified, who squeezed in, and who is heading home.

How the 32 was decided

In the 48-team format, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups qualify automatically — 24 teams — with the eight best third-placed finishers completing the bracket. We mapped the permutations in our pre-tournament Round of 32 guide; now the results have settled it.

The 12 group winners

Three nations finished with a perfect nine points: Mexico (Group A), France (Group I) and Argentina (Group J). They are joined as group winners by Switzerland (B), Brazil (C), United States (D), Germany (E), Netherlands (F), Belgium (G), Spain (H), Colombia (K) and England (L).

The 12 runners-up

Qualifying in second place: South Africa (A), Canada (B), Morocco (C), Australia (D), Côte d’Ivoire (E), Japan (F), Egypt (G), Cabo Verde (H), Norway (I), Austria (J), Portugal (K) and Croatia (L).

The eight best third-placed teams

Seven third-placed sides finished on four points and progressed comfortably: DR Congo (K), Sweden (F), Ecuador (E), Ghana (L), Bosnia and Herzegovina (B), Algeria (J) and Paraguay (D).

The final ticket came down to goal difference. Senegal (Group I) claimed it on three points and a +2 goal difference, edging out Iran, who finished level on points but at an even goal difference. That left Iran (G), South Korea (A), Scotland (C) and Uruguay (H) as the four third-placed teams eliminated — Uruguay the unlucky group with just two points.

You can see every group broken down in the full World Cup 2026 group tables, with live World Cup 2026 results updating as the knockouts unfold.

What it means for the Socceroos

Australia’s draw-and-grind through Group D was enough for second place behind the United States, and the reward is a Round of 32 tie with Egypt, who finished runners-up in Group G behind Belgium. It is a winnable knockout match — Egypt edged through on the same points as Belgium’s group but without a group win — and it sets up the Socceroos’ deepest realistic run in a generation.

Track the Socceroos’ fixtures on the road through the knockouts, and see how the World Cup 2026 odds rate Australia’s chances against Egypt.

Standout Round of 32 ties

The knockout draw has thrown up some heavyweight openers:

• Brazil vs Japan — the tournament’s most in-form attack against one of its best-organised sides.
• Germany vs Paraguay — Germany top Group E, but Paraguay’s third-place qualification makes them dangerous opponents.
• Argentina vs Cabo Verde — the holders’ pedigree against the tournament’s great underdog story.
• Portugal vs Croatia — an all-European clash of runners-up that would not look out of place in the quarter-finals.
• Mexico vs Ecuador and France vs Sweden — two group winners with perfect or near-perfect records facing battle-tested third-placed teams.

For the full knockout path, all confirmed matchups and the projected route to the final, head to the World Cup 2026 bracket. With the draw now set the markets are moving fast — compare the top World Cup 2026 betting sites in Australia before the Round of 32 kicks off.

The Round of 32 gets under way today, 28 June, and runs through to early July. The group stage is over — the real tournament starts now.