England vs Croatia live updates: World Cup 2026 game latest news and buildup

We are seeing something new at this World Cup: a 48-team tournament for the first time. It ends a 24-year run of 32-team World Cups dating back to 1998.

That affects the tournament schedule, as it means we have a group stage consisting of 12 groups of four teams, followed by the following knockout stage: round of 32, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

At the end of the group stage, the top two teams in each group will automatically progress to the round of 32 — as well as the eight third-placed teams with the best group record.

For those hoping to be crowned world champions, it means winning one more match than in the past, with eight games rather than seven standing between them and lifting the famous trophy.