Which teams are in the World Cup round of 32, and what’s the schedule?

Cape Verde’s stunning debut headlines the team list for the World Cup knockouts, which begin on Sunday in Los Angeles.The 48-team FIFA World Cup is nearing the end of the group stage matches and moving towards the knockout stages, beginning on Sunday.Only 32 teams will advance to the next round of football’s most prestigious tournament. The 2026 iteration in North America is the first time 48 teams have featured, and some debutants have already left their mark.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trossard brace guides Belgium to World Cup knockouts as New Zealand exitlist 2 of 4Heavyweight champion Usyk says vacating heavyweight world title beltslist 3 of 4Spain beat Uruguay 1-0 to clinch World Cup Group H top spotlist 4 of 4Cape Verde becomes tiniest nation to make World Cup knockoutsend of listHere’s what you need to know about the round of 32:Cape Verde players celebrate after the 0-0 draw during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match with Saudi Arabia at Houston Stadium on June 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas [Michael Steele/Getty Images/AFP]What is the format of the World Cup knockouts?The top two teams in each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to the knockouts.The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, introduced at the World Cup following the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams.Then comes the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and a playoff for third place. The final is on July 19.The stage-wise breakdown of the tournament’s knockout schedule is:Round of 32: June 28 to July 3Round of 16: July 4–7Quarterfinals: July 9–11Semifinals: July 14–15Bronze medal match: July 18Final: July 19South Africa players celebrate after the match at Estadio Monterrey, Mexico on June 24, 2026 [Daniel Becerril/Reuters]Which teams have qualified for the round of 32?So far, 28 teams have punched their ticket to the knockouts. They include:⚽️ Colombia⚽️ Argentina⚽️ France⚽️ Norway