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How does qualification for the World Cup knockout stage work?
Key takeaways
- England are aiming to win Group L - but their potential path to the final is tricky
- Given the 495 possible combinations of matches involving the eight third-placed teams who will progress to the last 32, you could be forgiven for failing to grasp the new format.
- To take the strain out of the situation, BBC Sport has developed a predictor tool that updates in-game to illustrate the schedule all the way to the final.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
England are aiming to win Group L - but their potential path to the final is tricky
As the planet's elite footballers put every effort into qualifying for the latter stages of the 2026 World Cup, fans around the globe are working almost as hard trying to understand who will play who in the knockout rounds.
An expanded 48-team tournament, new tiebreaker rules, and three host countries with four different time zones make it difficult for even the most ardent supporter to stay across the schedule, let alone the casual viewer major tournaments attract.
Article preview — originally published by BBC Sport. Full story at the source.
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