World Cup Draw

Thirty-two nations are divided into eight groups of four teams (Groups are lettered A-H). The drawing system is a bit complex but FIFA aims to balance each group by having the four teams be of varying geographic regions and team strength based on the FIFA rankings of the best teams in the world.

Group Stage

Once the eight groups have been decided, the first round of the World Cup kicks off in a round-robin fashion. Each of the four countries in its respective group must play a game against each of the others, for three games in total. The points awarded for each match are as follows: three points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.

The Knockout Rounds

After all group stage games are played, the two teams with the most points qualify for the next round, while the remaining two teams are knocked out of the tournament. Next, a “Sweet 16” bracket of the eight group winners vs. the eight runners up is formed. Each group winner will face off with a runner up, creating a system of one-game elimination playoffs all the way to the final!