World Cup 2026 group stage: standings, results and full fixture list

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has expanded to 48 teams split across 12 groups, marking the first time the tournament has operated at this scale. Co-hosts Mexico, the United States and Canada are seeded at the top of Groups A, B and D respectively, while England face Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L.

Scotland have been drawn into Group C alongside Brazil, Morocco and Haiti — one of the more demanding groups of the first round. The top two sides from each of the 12 groups will advance to the tournament’s inaugural round of 32, joined by the eight best third-placed finishers from across the groups. That means as few as three points could be sufficient for some nations to reach the knockout stages.

Completed results

Mexico opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over South Africa in Group A on Thursday 11 June.

Upcoming fixtures (selected)

South Korea face Czech Republic in Group A on Friday 13 June, followed by Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina in Group B. The United States take on Paraguay in Group D on Saturday 14 June, with Brazil meeting Morocco in Group C later that same day.

Scotland’s opening match comes against Haiti in Group C on Sunday 14 June. Germany begin their campaign against Curacao in Group E, while the Netherlands face Japan in Group F on the same day.

England’s tournament opener against Croatia in Group L is scheduled for Wednesday 17 June, with Spain, Portugal, France, Argentina and Belgium all also in action across that midweek window.

The full schedule runs through the group stage before the expanded round of 32 gets under way, with the new format giving more nations a realistic path to the knockout rounds than in any previous World Cup.