How the World Cup works
(and how this site does)

Forty-eight teams split into twelve groups of four. Every team plays every other team in their group once — three matches each, seventy-two matches total, all in the first two and a half weeks.

Win a match, you get three points. Draw, one point. Lose, zero. After three games the two best teams from each group go through to the Round of 32 — that's 24 teams. The eight best third-place finishers across all twelve groups also advance, which adds up to 32. (New for 2026: in past tournaments only the top two advanced. Now third place is still very much alive.)

The math gets dramatic on the final day of the group stage, when the last two games in each group kick off at the same time — one team's win can knock another out before they even leave the pitch.

Thirty-two teams left. Single elimination. Lose and you're out, no second chance. Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Final. Five rounds, five wins, and you're world champion.

If a knockout match is tied after the regular ninety minutes, they play thirty minutes of extra time. If still tied after that, penalty shootout — five from each side, sudden death after. The third-place match (the two semifinal losers) is played the day before the final.

The final is Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium — about an hour south of Beacon. Whoever wins seven straight knockouts hoists the trophy that night.

Each match on the schedule is a card. The two team flags and names are the matchup. The colored bar behind them is a soft nod to each nation's colors — left half is the first-listed team, right half is the second.

The Watch-at striptells you where the match is being hosted. “Carter's” means there's an organized watch party. A purple 🌙 Late-night · Venue TBDpill means the kickoff is too late for Carter's — we're lining up a late-night spot and will email you when it's confirmed. Some special days swap the strip entirely (e.g., June 21 is Carter's Annual Clam Bake; Netherlands games are Family Day).

Featured matcheswear a gold border with a ★ FEATURED pill — that's The Club making a bigger deal of those matches. Bigger turnout expected, sometimes a Carter's twist.

Spot badge in the corner shows how many seats are still open. Green = plenty, yellow = filling, red = almost full. Tap any card to see the full details and reserve.

See a match you want to be at? Tap Reserve. If you haven't signed in yet, we'll email you a six-digit code to confirm — no password to remember. Your spot is locked in the moment you confirm.

Reservations also let us know how many to plan for, so the room's ready when you arrive. We'll send you a confirmation email with the match details and a calendar attachment, and a heads-up reminder 24 hours before kickoff.

Bonus:reserve 24+ hours ahead and the bartender's choice shot is on the house when you arrive — you'll find the voucher on your profile after you reserve.