The 2026 World Cup group stage wasn’t predictable.
Sure, favorites have dominated at the top of every group, but there’s been a lot of unforeseen outcomes. Who could have guessed that Cape Verde and DR Congo would get draws against Spain and Portugal, respectively? Or that so few teams would win all three of their group stage games?
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Here are our winners and losers from the group stage as the 48-team field becomes 32.
World Cup schedule | Group schedule, results | Standings
Winners
Cape Verde
The third-smallest nation to ever play at the World Cup became the smallest nation to make the knockout rounds after
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