What do South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic need to do to win tickets to the World Cup knockout round?
The article discusses qualifying scenarios for South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic in the 2026 World Cup knock-out rounds, detailing the results needed for each team in their final matches.
The 2026 World Cup is in full swing and is nearing the end of the group stage with teams looking to secure their place in the knock-out round. 32 of the 48 countries will advance to the next round of the tournament, with the top two teams from each group automatically qualifying, along with the eight best third-placed teams. This means there is plenty to fight for in the final round of matches with progress to the round of 32 looking almost possible for many teams. In Group A, Mexico secured tickets to the next round after defeating both South Africa and South Korea, and they also won the group thanks to their better head-to-head record with South Korea - the only team in the group that could finish with the same score as them. South Korea won their opening match to sit second in the group with three points, while South Africa and the Czech Republic both have one point, meaning all three teams have a chance of progressing to the next round. Here's everything you need to know about the Group A knock-out qualifying scenarios:
What does South Korea need to do to win tickets to the knockout round?
South Korea will qualify for the knock-out round if they do not lose to South Africa in the final group match (Thursday, June 25, at 2am BST). A win would take them up to six points and secure second place in the table, while a draw would give them four points, which is the maximum the Czech Republic can achieve. In that case, South Korea will advance to the next round in second place thanks to its performance against the Czech Republic. If South Korea lose, South Africa will leapfrog them in the group and they will have to depend on the Czech Republic's result against Mexico to see if they can finish third with three points.
What does South Africa need to do to get to the round of 32?
South Africa are currently bottom of Group A with just one point from their draw against the Czech Republic. To qualify for the knock-out round, they must defeat South Korea, or have better results than the Czech Republic to finish third. If they beat South Korea, they will surpass them in the group and four points will be enough for them to at least finish third, depending on the result between the Czech Republic and Mexico. If they lose, they will almost certainly be eliminated from the tournament, while a draw would leave them with two points, which may not be enough to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
What does the Czech Republic need to do to advance to the next round of the World Cup?
The Czech Republic has the most difficult path to advance to the knock-out round because they must defeat Mexico in the final match of the group. This European team depends on other results in the group, but a win over Mexico would take them four points up, enough for at least third, and possibly one of the eight best teams. They entered the final match in third place and could retain this position if South Africa lost to South Korea. A draw against Mexico would leave them with two points, which seems unlikely to be enough to progress to the next round.
Ranking order is based on head-to-head performance
If teams have the same number of points, their position in the table will be determined by their record against the team with which they are tied. If a team has the same points as another team that beat them in the group stage, the winning team will stand higher. When multiple teams are tied on points, a mini-league will be created, eliminating the results with the remaining teams. Teams tied on points will be ranked based on the number of points obtained in the matches between them, then goal difference, followed by number of goals scored. If that doesn't work out, the next criteria is goal difference, then goals scored for the entire group.
Other criteria for determination
If teams still have the same points after considering head-to-head results, goal difference and goals scored, Team Practice Score (TCS) will be applied. This is primarily a fair play score and is judged based on the number of cards a team has received. Each team, including coaches and staff, starts with a score of zero and will have points deducted throughout the group phase as follows: Yellow card -1; Red card from two yellow cards -3; Straight red card -4; Yellow card followed by straight red card -5. The closer the score is to zero, the better the score. If the teams are still tied on points, the team with the higher FIFA rating in the update announced in June will advance to the next round.
How to determine the eight best third-placed teams
The eight best third-placed teams will be determined based on the number of points they accumulate. If eight or more countries finish third with the same number of points, the teams will be determined based on goal difference. Potentially, teams finishing third with four points or more will qualify for the next round, while teams with three points will need the best goal difference to advance.
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