FIFA World Cup schedule for the week (June 22-28, 2026): Argentina’s Messi, Mbappe’s France are in focus as the final tournament begins | Football News

Argentina’s Lionel Messi, second right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal. (AP Photo)

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set for an exciting week as the 48-team competition enters the final group stage, the competition for a place in the Round of 32 gathering from Monday onwards.After 10 days of action in the United States, Canada and Mexico, only three teams qualified for the knockout rounds. Co-hosts USA and Mexico, along with four-time champions Germany, have already booked their places after the opening two games.At the other end, Haiti, Turkey and Tunisia have been the first groups to be eliminated from contention, leaving 42 countries fighting for the remaining 29 places in the next round.The second round of the group stage will end by Wednesday, which is expected to clear up several groups with more heavyweights. Defending champions Argentina, former world champions France, England and Portugal are among the teams still looking to secure their place in the knockout stages.From Thursday onwards, the focus will turn to the final stage of the group stage, where FIFA will adopt a one-time starting system for teams in the same group. These provisions are designed to protect the integrity of the game and to prevent teams from profiting by knowing the results of other games.For example, all Group A matches will start at the same time, and all 12 groups will be drawn in the final days of the first round.The text is much higher in the zoomed view. The top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 32, while the eight third-best teams will also advance, meaning that the countries that miss out on the top two spots will remain alive.With 29 knockout spots still up for grabs and a number of strong teams still needing to prove their qualification, the coming week promises high drama, tough calculations and simultaneous battles in multiple venues.By the end of the week, the picture of the 32-team opening round will be over, dreams will be alive or dashed which promises a happy ending for the group.