News Focus
- The 2026 tournament will be the first World Cup with 48 competing nations.
- Experts used DraftKings betting odds to simulate every match outcome.
- The model advances favourites through the group stage and knockout rounds.
- Twelve groups will send the top two teams plus eight best third-place finishers to the Round of 32.
- FIFA’s official tournament rules determine the specific knockout pairings for third-place qualifiers.
Football analysts have created a complete simulation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup using only bookmakers’ odds. The forecast relies entirely on DraftKings prices to select winners at every stage of the competition.
The expanded format will feature twelve groups instead of the traditional eight. From these, the top two teams will automatically qualify for the knockout phase. The best eight third-place finishers will also advance, creating a Round of 32 for the first time in tournament history.
To choose the group winners and runners-up, experts examined two sets of odds. They looked at the prices for winning the group and the separate prices for qualifying from the group. This double check helped identify which nations would most likely progress.
For the third-place spots, analysts compared qualification odds across all twelve groups. This comparison revealed which teams would survive as the strongest losers.
The knockout stage uses a fixed bracket system. The specific match-ups depend on which groups supply the third-place qualifiers. The simulation follows FIFA’s official regulations to place each advancing team in the correct Round of 32 tie.
This method favours the strongest teams according to the bookmakers. However, football fans know that the World Cup often produces major shocks and unexpected results.