The 2026 FIFA World Cup is now in full swing, and it's already shaping up to be the biggest edition in the tournament's history. For the first time, 48 teams are competing across 104 matches, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. With the group stage well underway, here's a look at where things stand right now.

Co-Hosts Off to Strong Starts

Both Mexico and the United States have already clinched spots in the Round of 32, becoming the first two nations to secure their place in the knockout stage. Mexico topped Group A after beating South Africa and then South Korea, sealing first place on head-to-head results. The United States, meanwhile, won Group D outright after a 2-0 victory over Australia, marking the first time since 2010 that the USA has finished top of its group at a World Cup.

Matchday 10 Headlines

On the tournament's tenth matchday, Germany advanced courtesy of a dramatic comeback win, with substitute Deniz Undav scoring twice, including a stoppage-time winner, to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 after trailing for most of the match. The Netherlands put in a commanding performance against Sweden, while Japan eased past Tunisia in what was the 1,000th match in World Cup history.

Elsewhere, Curaçao produced one of the tournament's standout moments, drawing with Ecuador thanks to a goalkeeping performance from Room that tied Tim Howard's record for the most saves in a World Cup match since 1966 and set a new record for saves at the tournament in regular time.

The New 48-Team, Round of 32 Format

This is the first World Cup to expand from 32 to 48 teams, and the format change has reshaped how the knockout stage works. Instead of the traditional Round of 16 kicking things off, this tournament introduces a new Round of 32. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups advance automatically, along with the eight best third-place finishers across the entire group stage, meaning two-thirds of all competing nations will reach the knockout rounds.

That format has made the race for third place unusually important. As of now, Japan sits atop the third-place standings, with Scotland and Paraguay close behind, separated mainly by goal difference.

Other Notable Storylines

• England produced one of the results of the group stage so far with a win over Croatia, putting them in a strong position heading into their remaining fixtures.
• Brazil moved to the top of their group on goal difference after a win over Haiti, who became the first team eliminated from knockout-stage contention.
• Canada has been one of the form teams of the tournament on the attacking end, setting an opposition-box-touches record, while Guadalajara has hosted the most World Cup matches in history without a single one ending in a goalless draw.
• Lionel Messi opened his tournament with a hat-trick, while Kylian Mbappé scored twice in France's opening win over Senegal, and Erling Haaland has also arrived in strong form for Norway.

What's Next

The group stage continues through the final matchdays in late June, with the Round of 32 set to run from June 28 through July 4. Bracket positioning is still being finalized in several groups, with multiple final-day matches likely to decide who advances and who heads home, particularly among the teams competing for the remaining third-place qualification spots.