The 8 third-placed teams advance to the World Cup knockout round.

After the group stage of the 2026 World Cup concluded, the best third-placed teams were determined to advance to the knockout round.

1. Democratic Republic of Congo : In their final Group K match on the morning of June 28th, despite falling behind 1-0 to Uzbekistan thanks to a goal from Eldor Shomurodov, the Democratic Republic of Congo overcame the odds to win 3-1. Their 4 points and +1 goal difference make them the third-best performing team after the group stage of the 2026 World Cup and they will face England in the knockout round on July 1st.

2. Sweden : A 1-1 draw with Japan in the final match of Group F on June 26th gave Sweden their 4th point. Graham Potter's team officially secured their place in the next round and will face France in the knockout stage on July 1st.

3. Ghana : Despite losing 1-2 to Croatia in the final match of Group L, Ghana secured their place in the next round thanks to their 4 points from two matches against Panama (1-0 win) and England (0-0 draw). The African representative will face Colombia in the knockout round on July 4th.

4. Ecuador : One of the most emotionally charged teams in the 2026 World Cup group stage. After only securing one point in their first two matches, the South American representatives staged a comeback to defeat Germany 2-1 on June 26th, securing their place in the next round. Sebastian Beccacece's team will face Mexico in the knockout round on July 1st.

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5. Bosnia & Herzegovina : An easy 3-1 victory over Qatar in the final match of Group B secured third place overall, with 4 points and a goal difference of -1. That was enough for Sergej Barbarez's team to advance. Bosnia & Herzegovina will face the host nation, the USA, in the knockout round on July 2nd.

6. Paraguay : A goalless draw with Australia in the final match of Group D gave Paraguay their fourth-highest number of points in the 2026 World Cup group stage. Gustavo Alfaro's team secured their place in the knockout round and will face Germany on June 30th.

7. Senegal : Despite losing both of their first two matches against France and Norway, Senegal capitalized on Iraq being reduced to ten men from the 13th minute to defeat their opponent with a crushing 5-0 victory. Although they only earned 3 points in the group stage, their goal difference of +0 allowed the African representative to surpass teams like Scotland and South Korea to advance to the next round. Their opponent in the knockout round will be Belgium, on July 2nd.

8. Algeria : A thrilling 3-3 draw with Austria in the final match of Group J was enough for Algeria to secure the last qualifying spot among the best third-placed teams, pocketing 4 points after the group stage. The African representative will face Switzerland in the knockout round on July 3rd.

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Source: https://znews.vn/8-doi-hang-3-vao-vong-knock-out-world-cup-post1663870.html