2026 World Cup: What Happens After the Draw? Match Schedule and Knockout Stages

Post-Draw World Cup Progression

• 🎯 Following the 2026 World Cup draw, the 48 participating nations will enter the group stage, featuring a round-robin format within 12 groups.
• 🗓️ The group stage matches will take place from June 11th to June 27th, with the top two teams from each group automatically advancing.
• 📈 Additionally, eight of the third-place teams will qualify for the knockout stage based on tiebreaker rankings.

Knockout Stage and Final

• 🚀 A 32-team knockout stage will commence on June 28th, running for three weeks.
• 🏆 The tournament will culminate in the World Cup final on July 19th.

AT&T Stadium Match Allocation

• 🏟️ AT&T Stadium is set to host a total of nine World Cup matches.
• ⚽ Five of these matches will be part of the group stages, with the remaining four being knockout stage games.
• 🌟 Specific knockout matches at the stadium include two in the round of 32, one in the round of 16, and a World Cup semifinal on July 14th.

Further Coverage Details

• 📺 WFAA Plus will provide live reactions and detailed coverage once the North Texas teams are confirmed.
• ⏰ Coverage on WFAA Plus begins tomorrow at 12:30 PM.