Every claim to the throne starts here. Win and take three, draw and take one — the top two of each group march on, and the eight best third-placed sides cling to the last lifelines into the knockouts.
Group A
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group B
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group C
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇭🇹 Haiti | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🏴 Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group D
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 USA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇹🇷 Turkey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group E
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇨🇼 Curaçao | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group F
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group G
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group H
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group I
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇫🇷 France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group J
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇦🇹 Austria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group K
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇨🇩 DR Congo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group L
Top 2 + lifeline| # | Contender | P | W | D | L | ± | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🏴 England | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 🇵🇦 Panama | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Eight Survive
The Last Lifelines
Finish third and the claim lives on — if it outranks the other third-placed contenders across all twelve groups.
The lifeline ranking opens with the group stage. The eight contenders holding on will be listed here in real time.
Three points buys a throne
Wins pay triple, and in a four-team group one win plus a draw usually keeps a claim alive. Chasing safety, though, drops you straight into the lifeline scramble.
Goal difference is the tiebreaker
Level on points, the table reads goal difference first and goals scored second. A late fourth goal in a settled match can decide who marches and who fades.
Third place is not the end
The eight best third-placed contenders cross into the Round of 32 through the side gate. Every group matters to every other group — watch all twelve.