Expanded World Cup reaches new round of 32 with Cape Verde and record crowds

The largest World Cup ever staged reached its decisive phase on 28 June, as the round of 32 — an entirely new knockout round — began across the United States, Canada and Mexico. FIFA's first 48-team tournament has already rewritten the competition's attendance records and sent a nation of roughly 525,000 people into the last 32, before a single elimination tie has been settled.

The group stage, which ran from 11 to 27 June, narrowed the field of 48 to 32. The top two teams in each of the 12 groups advanced automatically, joined by the eight best third-placed sides — meaning two-thirds of the entrants survived the opening round. From here the matches are played to a finish: 90 minutes, then 30 minutes of extra time, then penalties if needed.

A bigger tournament, a new round

The 2026 edition is the first to expand from 32 teams to 48, a change FIFA approved to widen the global reach of its flagship event. The format lifts the total number of matches from 64 to 104 and adds the round of 32, a stage that did not exist in earlier tournaments, where teams advanced straight from the groups to the last 16. Co-hosted by 11 US cities, three Mexican cities and two Canadian cities, the competition runs until the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on 19 July.

All three host nations reached the knockout stage: Mexico and the United States topped their groups, while Canada qualified as a runner-up. The opening round-of-32 tie sent South Africa, into the last 32 for the first time, against Canada.

Records tumble on and off the pitch

The tournament's scale has been felt most clearly in the stands. On 25 June, cumulative attendance passed 3,605,357 spectators — overtaking the 3,587,538 set at the 1994 World Cup, also hosted in the United States, a mark that had stood for 32 years. The record fell during Ecuador's 2-1 group-stage win over Germany at MetLife Stadium, with dozens of matches still to play. FIFA had earlier reported a single-day record of 281,223 fans on 16 June, spread across four group games. "Wow! 281,223 fans in FIFA World Cup stadiums today — the highest attended day in the history of the competition!" FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote.

That Ecuador win was one of the group stage's standout results. Leroy Sané put Germany ahead early before Nilson Angulo levelled, and Gonzalo Plata struck the winner with 13 minutes left to send Ecuador through as a third-placed team — their first knockout appearance since 2006. Germany, beaten on the night, still finished top of their group.

Cape Verde rewrite the record books

No story has captured the expanded format's promise more than Cape Verde's. The Atlantic archipelago, playing in its first World Cup, became the smallest country by population ever to reach a men's World Cup knockout stage. With around 525,000 inhabitants — fewer than any US state — the islanders finished second in their group unbeaten, holding pre-tournament contenders Spain to a goalless draw, drawing 2-2 with Uruguay and seeing out a 0-0 against Saudi Arabia.

"There is a lot of quality in our national team. Maybe for many of you, you think the Cape Verdean player is not good enough. But we came here to show that we have a lot of quality."

Those were the words of goalkeeper Vozinha after qualification. Cape Verde's reward is a meeting with defending champions Argentina in Miami Gardens on 3 July. Their head coach, Bubista, struck a defiant note: "We are small ... But we have big hearts and we are fighters."

The last 32, and a Greater Region flavour

For Luxembourg's audience — whose national team has never reached a World Cup — much of the interest lies with the Grand Duchy's neighbours, all of whom won their groups. The 32 sides through to the knockouts are:

• Group winners: Mexico, Switzerland, Brazil, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, France, Argentina, Colombia and England.
• Runners-up: South Africa, Canada, Morocco, Australia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Egypt, Cape Verde, Norway, Austria, Portugal and Croatia.
• Best third-placed sides: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Sweden, Senegal, Algeria, Ghana and DR Congo.

The round throws up immediate heavyweight ties, including Portugal against Croatia in Toronto and the United States against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, before Argentina face Cape Verde to close it on 3 July. With Germany, France and Belgium all advancing as group winners, and 16 nations already eliminated, the first 48-team World Cup now enters the stage that draws in even the casual viewer — a knockout run of single matches, no second chances, all the way to MetLife on 19 July.