Haiti vs Scotland live updates: World Cup 2026 game latest lineups and buildup

We are still getting used to 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 knockout stage that has an extra round:

Starting with the round of 32, and continuing with the 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 knockouts, as well as the eight third-placed teams with the best 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 the famous trophy.