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Excel Schedule

Another change to the tournament mode for the 2026 World Cup (FIFA decision of March 14, 2023):
12 groups of four instead of 16 groups of three. That means: 104 matches instead of 80 matches.

On September 12th, 2024, FIFA published a match plan that specifies the date, venue and group for each match number. The match numbers - and thus the date and venue - were also determined for the group matches of the three hosts Mexico, Canada and the USA.
▸FIFA schedule from September 12th, 2024 (PDF)

The opening match (Match No. 1) will take place on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City. Hosts Mexico will play against a team from their group. The world championship tournament ends with the final (match no. 104) on July 19, 2026 in New York/New Jersey.

Preview of the Excel Schedule World Cup 2026
hinweispfeil Full picture

 

Just enter match results - everything else is automatic!

★ NO EXCEL SKILLS REQUIRED ★    smiley


Excel Logo
Schedule (Last updated: September 16, 2024)
Match plan with 12 groups of four after FIFA publication on September 12th, 2024 Download .xlsx

It is an interactive Excel schedule with automatic updating of the group tables, automatic assignment of teams in the knockout round, multilingual, choice of time zone, consideration of all FIFA rules including fair play and drawing of lots, highlighting the games of the current day, also an overview of all direct comparisons with the corresponding tables in the case of three teams.

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Betting match results

If you're having fun betting on match results with family or friends and turning it into a little competition, you can show the hidden worksheets
Predictions_1,
Predictions_Ranking_1 and
PrSettings.

Further information is available here: ▸Betting match results.

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New contest mode

After the World Cup is before the World Cup.
(Original quote from the German national coach Sepp Herberger in 1954: 'After the match is before the match.')

The next World Cup is scheduled to take place in June and July 2026. And everything should be different at the next World Cup. That's what all teams who went home early and disappointed with the early elimination hope for.

But FIFA also wants to do everything differently. It was already decided in 2017 that instead of 32 teams, 48 teams would now take part. In the group stage, there should be sixteen groups of three instead of eight groups of four. The KO round should be extended by a round of 32.

However, this match plan generated a lot of criticism. Mainly, the increased risk of collusion in the last group match was pointed out.

Finally, on March 14, 2023, it was decided to change the tournament mode again. There are twelve groups of four in the group stage. The first and second place winners in each group and the eight best third-placed teams qualify for the round of 32. So the number of matches increases from 64 matches to 104 matches.

What is also new at this World Cup is that the eight best third-placed teams qualify for the knockout round. When planning the encounters in the round of 32, it should be ensured that two teams from the same group do not meet in the round of 32 under any circumstances. Since it is not known in advance from which of the 12 groups the 8 best third-placed teams will come, it must be determined before the tournament which of the group winners has to play against which third-party for each of the possible cases that may arise.

At the UEFA European Championship there are 15 different cases from which groups the top 4 third-placed teams can come. Here at the World Cup, there are now 495(!) different cases from which groups the top 8 third-place finishers can come. This means that FIFA has to create a table with 495 regulations, which group winner plays against which group third party.

In order to bridge the time until FIFA announces its regulation, I calculated a possible solution for the 495 cases using my own computer algorithm. You can see them on the 'AssignThird' spreadsheet or hint arrow here as a PDF. As there are more possible solutions than grains of sand on earth, FIFA's solution will almost certainly not be the same.

hinweispfeil More information on FIFA's World Cup 2026 page

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The 48 teams for the finals

Where do the 48 teams for the finals come from? - How are they determined?

Many nations around the world have a national football association. Most of these associations are members of the FIFA.

In addition, these national associations have merged to form six continental associations (confederations):


For the 2026 finals, FIFA has allocated a certain number of starting places and a certain number of play-off participants to each of these continental associations:

Confederation Number of places Playoff participants
AFC (Asia) 8 1
CAF (Africa) 9 1
CONCACAF (North and Central America) 6 2
CONMEBOL (South America) 6 1
OFC (Oceania) 1 1
UEFA (Europe) 16 - -

Each confederation holds qualifying rounds to decide who qualifies for those places. Of the 6 playoff participants, 2 qualify for the final tournament. This results in 8 + 9 + 6 + 6 + 1 + 16 + 2 = 48 participants in the final tournament. For the first time, the OFC is assigned a direct place. So far, only one team has qualified through the international playoffs. The hosts Canada, Mexico and USA are automatically qualified.

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UEFA Qualifying round

The 54 UEFA qualifiers will be drawn into 12 groups on 23 December 2024 - 6 groups of four and 6 groups of five. In these groups, everyone will play against each other in home and away matches.

The 10 matchdays of this group stage will take place between 17 March and 18 November 2025.

The 12 group winners qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup.
The 12 group runners-up take part in the play-offs, where they fight for the remaining 4 starting places.

The play-offs will take place from March 23 to 31, 2026.

Many people ask themselves:
"What does the Nations League have to do with World Cup qualification?"

The answer:
In order to further increase the attractiveness of the Nations League, UEFA has decided that not only the 12 runners-up in the World Cup qualifying groups will take part in the play-offs, but also the four best teams in the 2024/25 Nations League overall rankings that did not qualify for the play-offs either directly as group winners or as group runners-up in the World Cup qualifiers.

For example, it is conceivable that one of the leading European football nations slips up during the World Cup qualification and only finishes third in its group. This would mean that it would miss out on the World Cup qualification and would have to watch the World Cup tournament at home on TV.

If this football nation has previously achieved a very good position in the Nations League, for example by winning its group in League A or coming second in League A, then it has a good chance of being one of the four teams that are entitled to participate in the play-offs based on their position in the Nations League overall rankings.

The four group winners in League A of the 2024/25 Nations League also have the advantage of being seeded as the head of a group of four in the draw for World Cup qualification (on December 23, 2024).

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Rules for qualifying for the round of 32

The twelve group winners, the twelve group runners-up and the eight best third-placed teams qualify for the round of 32.

In contrast to the UEFA European Championship, the direct comparison has no priority over goal difference and the number of goals scored. A direct comparison is only used if the points, goal difference and number of goals scored are equal. If the direct comparison does not bring a decision either, the minus points of the fair play rating are compared. If there is also a tie, the lot decides.

In summary, the criteria for determining the order of precedence within a group are:

  1. Score from all group matches
  2. Goal difference from all group matches
  3. Number of goals scored in all group matches
  4. Score from the direct encounters between the teams in question
  5. Goal difference from the direct encounters between the teams in question
  6. Number of goals scored from direct encounters between the teams in question
  7. Fair play scoring based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches
    • yellow card = 1 point
    • yellow-red card = 3 points
    • red card = 4 points
    • yellow and red card = 5 points
  8. Drawing of lots

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The topic 'Direct Comparison'

On this subject, many people first think only of the direct comparison between two teams. Here the matter is clear and simple: Whoever has won the direct encounter is the better team in this direct comparison. In the case of a draw, the direct comparison does not lead to a decision.

It is no longer so clear and simple when more than two teams are subjected to a direct comparison. Here there are even several different regulations on how these direct comparisons are to be carried out.

In the direct comparison of three teams under UEFA rules, a further direct comparison of the teams indistinguishable in the first comparison may be carried out.
Under FIFA rules, there is no further direct comparison.

Here is an Example:
Let us assume that the following results were achieved within a group:

Germany Italy 4 - 3
Nigeria Mexico 2 - 4
Germany Nigeria 2 - 0
Mexico Italy 1 - 2
Mexico Germany 2 - 1
Italy Nigeria 2 - 0

Then the final standings of the group table are as follows:

Place Team Points Goals
1 Germany 6 7 - 5
2 Italy 6 7 - 5
3 Mexico 6 7 - 5
4 Nigeria 0 2 - 8

According to both FIFA and UEFA rules, there is a direct comparison between the three teams Germany, Italy and Mexico. In this direct comparison, only the matches of these three teams against each other are considered. The direct comparison leads to the following table:

Place Team Points Goals
1 Germany 3 5 - 5
2 Italy 3 5 - 5
3 Mexico 3 3 - 3

Due to the lower number of goals scored, Mexico is in third place. But what about Germany and Italy? They are indistinguishable even in this direct comparison of the three teams.

According to UEFA rules, there would now be another direct comparison between these two teams. Since Germany won 4-3 against Italy, Germany would be in first place. However, there is nothing in FIFA rules about a repeat of the direct comparison. In the event of a tie, the fair-play ranking or the draw of lots decides. Italy could therefore end up in first place through a better fair-play ranking or a draw of lots!

 

In the FIFA World Cup, a direct comparison only takes place when the teams concerned are tied in points, goal difference and goals scored.
In the UEFA European Championship, on the other hand, a direct comparison takes place even if the teams are tied on points. The direct comparison takes precedence over goal difference and goals scored.

In the example detailed hint arrow here, Georgia is ranked 2nd under UEFA rules, but would finish 4th in a FIFA World Cup and would thus be eliminated.

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FIFA World Ranking

In the draw for group allocation on April 1, 2022, the host country Qatar and the seven best placed in the FIFA world rankings came into pot 1. Since the world rankings are constantly changing, a key date has to be set. This key date determines which snapshot of the world ranking list is used for the draw of the groups.

How does the FIFA World Ranking come about? - How is the rank actually calculated?

Since August 2018, FIFA calculates the world ranking coefficient according to a new procedure. In the old procedure, an average value was calculated from the match results of a certain period. In the new procedure, the playing strength of a team is indicated by a so-called ELO rating, similar to chess. (Arpad Elo had developed this method of calculating playing strength for the American Chess Federation in 1960). This ELO rating determines the rank in the FIFA world rankings.

The ELO rating of a team changes after each international match. Friendly matches are far less important than, for example, group matches in the World Cup finals. The strength of the opponent also plays a major role in the recalculation. A win against a strong opponent improves the ELO number significantly more than a win against a weak opponent.
▸Detailed explanation of the calculation of the ELO number (with Online Calculator)

hint arrow Official world ranking published by FIFA

Anyone who would like to have the two FIFA world rankings before and after the 2022 World Cup (6 Oct 2022 and 22 Dec 2022) as an Excel file can download them here:
hinweispfeil FIFA_World_Ranking_2022-12-22.xlsx

If you are interested in how the rating numbers in the FIFA women's world rankings are calculated, you will find a detailed explanation with calculation example, online calculator and Excel file for download here:
hinweispfeil Calculation of rating numbers in the FIFA Women's World Ranking

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Calculate your own rankings with Excel

hinweispfeil Download Excel file (Calculate_Rankings_1.2_en.xlsm)
Last modified: 2023-04-13
The file contains VBA code and therefore only runs under Microsoft Excel.

With this Excel file you can calculate your own rankings, analogous to the FIFA world rankings. Just like with FIFA, you enter all match results for a certain period of time. After clicking on a button, Excel then calculates the new ranking list with the current rating numbers.

For example, a regional football association can have its own regional ranking list similar to the FIFA world ranking list and update it at certain intervals.

Since the calculation method is the same as in chess or table tennis (ELO numbers are calculated), the Excel file can also be used in the Chess Club or in the Table Tennis Club to recalculate the playing strengths and thus the ranking of the members. The ELO divisor (400 for chess, 600 for football) can be chosen accordingly. The Swiss Table Tennis Association uses the ELO divisor 200, the German Table Tennis Association 150.

FIFA uses values from 5 to 60 for the weighting. There are three weightings in chess: 40 for beginners and players under the age of eighteen, 20 for intermediate players who have at least 30 ratings, and 10 for top players who have reached a playing strength >2400. In Swiss table tennis, the value 10 applies to all players.

As an example, the Excel file contains the FIFA rating numbers of the 32 World Cup participants from October 6th, 2022 as starting values. The 64 games of the 2022 World Cup are entered on the second spreadsheet and the newly calculated rating numbers are listed. So you can see how the rating numbers have changed due to the World Cup matches. These new numbers do not exactly match the FIFA rating numbers from December 22nd, 2022, because in this example the preparatory matches in the period from October 6th, 2022 to the start of the World Cup on November 20th, 2022 would still have to be incorporated.

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Downloads for the past World Cup 2022

Interested parties can still download the old match schedule for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar:
hinweispfeil World Cup 2022 match schedule (Last updated: 19.01.2023)

There is a detailed tutorial for the 2022 match schedule as a PDF file with precise instructions how this match schedule can be produced, also with an explanation of all Excel formulas contained therein and for each chapter an Excel file that corresponds to the development status after this chapter.
hinweispfeil WCup_Tutorial_1.2_en.pdf    (Last updated: 2023-06-01)

For the tutorial there are ten Excel files that represent the current status of the project after each of the ten chapters. So you can start at any point or skip chapters.
In any case, everything is explained as clearly as possible.
hinweispfeil Excel files for the tutorial    (Last updated: 2023-03-03)

If you don't have Excel, you can still use this World Cup schedule!
You can use a free program like LibreOffice Calc or OpenOffice Calc.
Or you can save the schedule on Microsoft OneDrive and then edit it in the browser with 'Excel Online'.

It is also possible to save the World Cup schedule to Google Drive and edit it in the browser with Google 'Sheets'. Here, however, the processing speed is very low. It can sometimes take a few seconds for updating the group table after entering a match result.

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Tournament schedule for your own Premier League

A tournament schedule in Excel for the Premier League? - You don't need it. - All match results and tables can be viewed multiple times on the Internet.

But if you want to play your own League, you can download a free and freely usable tournament schedule like Premier League  hint arrow here .

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Tournament schedules for 1 to 4 groups

If you are looking for a tournament schedule for your next football, handball, volleyball... tournament, you will find
▸here
six high-quality Excel files (without macros), which offer a three-digit number of different variants thanks to their extraordinary flexibility:

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