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23 June 2026

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup expanding to 48 teams, the new format introduces a round of 32 and gives certain third-placed sides a lifeline to remain in contention for knockout-stage success.

Under the revised structure, teams finishing fourth in their groups will be eliminated immediately. However, eight of the twelve third-placed teams will progress to the next round, keeping the competition fierce and unpredictable.

At present, Scotland occupy second place in the overall third-place standings and remain in contention for advancement. Their 1-0 victory over Haiti and 1-0 loss to Morocco mean that even a narrow defeat to Brazil in their final group stage fixture could be sufficient to reach the knockout phase.

Sweden currently lead the third-place table, powered by a potent attacking duo of Alexander Isak and Arsenal forward Victor Gyokeres. They face a challenging final group match against Japan. After trouncing Tunisia 5-1, the Swedes appeared destined for the knockouts, but a heavy defeat to the Netherlands has left their qualification hopes hanging in the balance.

It promises to be a tense few days for Scotland’s supporters, who will be anxiously watching how the results unfold across other groups.

This table excludes teams that are currently bottom of their groups, such as Iraq. Iraq could still climb to third in Group I with a victory over Senegal, as both sides have lost their opening two matches. The standings for third-placed teams are expected to shift dramatically as the final round of group fixtures unfolds.

The eight teams that advance as the best third-placed finishers are determined using specific criteria.

Firstly, teams are ranked by the total number of points earned in all group stage matches. If two or more teams are level on points, the next deciding factor is their goal difference across all games. Should they remain tied, the total number of goals scored in the group stage will be used as the final tiebreaker.

Elsewhere in football action, fixtures include Los Angeles Football Club 2 versus MNUFC2, Breidablik against Vikingur Reykjavik, Ogre United facing FK Tukums 2000/Telms, Portland Timbers 2 taking on San Jose Earthquakes II, Atlanta United 2 up against Crown Legacy FC, Chattanooga FC meeting Chicago Fire FC II, and Colorado Rapids 2 playing Vancouver Whitecaps FC II.