World Cup Qualification Update: 28 of 32 Spots Secured! 12 Teams Eliminated, 9 Round-of-32 Matchups Confirmed

The World Cup group stage wrapped up on June 27 Beijing time with the last matches in Groups G, H, and I. Currently, 28 teams have booked their spots in the next round, among them England and Portugal, who still have their final group matches remaining. Meanwhile, 12 teams, including Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, have been ruled out. The first round of the knockout stage already features nine confirmed matchups.

[Latest World Cup Qualification Status]

Teams That Have Advanced (28 Teams):

Group A: Mexico, South Africa

Group B: Switzerland, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Group C: Brazil, Morocco

Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay

Group E: Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden

Group G: Belgium, Egypt

Group H: Spain, Cape Verde

Group I: France, Norway, Senegal

Group J: Argentina

Group K: Colombia, Portugal

Group L: England, Ghana

Eliminated Teams (12 Teams):

Czech Republic, Qatar, Haiti, Turkey, Curaçao, Tunisia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Panama

Third-Place Teams Still Pending:

Group G: Iran (3 points, 0 goal difference); Group A: South Korea (3 points, -1 goal difference); Group C: Scotland (3 points, -4 goal difference)

Nine matchups in the first knockout round (Round of 32) have been determined:

Germany vs Paraguay

France vs Sweden

South Africa vs Canada

Netherlands vs Morocco

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Brazil vs Japan

Ivory Coast vs Norway

Argentina vs Cape Verde

Australia vs Egypt

Notably, the first quarter of the knockout bracket has been set. The eight teams in this quarter are: Germany vs Paraguay, France vs Sweden, South Africa vs Canada, and Netherlands vs Morocco.