How to fill out World Cup bracket 2026: Sample and tips to help you make the best picks for FIFA champion

How to fill out World Cup bracket 2026: Sample and tips to help you make the best picks for FIFA champion originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been full of thrills, surprises, and excitement as 48 teams vie for the one global championship available at the end of the journey.

From No. 1-ranked defending champions Argentina down to the lowest-ranked nations of Haiti, Curacao, and New Zealand, the players have come to compete on the biggest stage. The result has been one of the most entertaining and electric football tournaments in recent memory, where almost every game has been a nail-biter filled with tense moments and thrilling twists.

That is likely to continue in the knockout stage, which features a Round of 32 for the first time in World Cup history. Those reaching the 2026 final will have played one more game than previous finalists, meaning there is more potential for quirky twists and upsets.

The Sporting News brings you a look at how to approach making your picks and predictions throughout the knockout stage, and what to consider when deciding who you think will make it all the way to the final, and ultimately lift the trophy.

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How to fill out a World Cup bracket

If you’re looking for pointers on how to go about filling out a World Cup bracket, here are a few things to keep in mind when making your selections.

Consider each team’s strengths and how they match up

Filling out a bracket is more than just determining which team is better and advancing that side.

The most important thing when deciding the winner of every single game is how the two teams involved match up, and consider what might come of it.

Very strong defensive sides can sometimes frustrate even the best attacking units. Individual quality in front of goal will usually trump a team that takes a ton of shots but doesn’t finish well. Two defensive-minded teams squaring off can sometimes cancel each other out, leaving one or two fluky moments to decide the match and sometimes resulting in upsets.

For example, Portugal have a very strong, press-resistant midfield than can withstand pressure from the opposition in the middle third. This can neutralize an opposition counter-press and slow the game down with defensive possession. Yet they have not impressed in some time in the final third against a high-ranked opponent. So, if they were matched up against a team like France, could they grind the game down enough to stay in the match, or would they need to score enough goals to keep up?

Matchups are the most important consideration when deciding who you think will win each game.

Think about what players are in form or struggling

What players impressed you the most in the group stage? In-form players are more likely to keep their momentum going, unless the opponent is well-coached enough to game-plan them out of the match.

Superstar goal scorers were in electric form through the group stage, as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, and Erling Haaland were all headliners from the opening three rounds of matches.

Yet there were others who impressed as well. Ruben Vargas and Johan Mantzambi of Switzerland were impressive in their roles. Matheus Cunha was a do-it-all menace up front for Brazil who fit well with what that team was trying to accomplish. Luis Diaz led the Colombia attack with impressive volume, but also was supported by strong two-way play by right-back Daniel Munoz.

On the flip side of that, what players were struggling through the group stage? For example, Brazil midfielders Casemiro and Lucas Paqueta were slow and looked to struggle with the pace of matches. Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly had a nightmarish time defending quality forwards. Morocco forward Brahim Diaz was disappointing on both ends of the pitch throughout the group stage. Germany playmaker Jamal Musiala does not seem to have found his best form since the gruesome broken leg a year ago, and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has been showing his age for years now.

These trends matter heading into the knockout rounds.

MORE:Download a printable World Cup bracket here

No more than one mid-tier team in semifinals

While there will be upsets in the group stage, the knockout stage is a different matter altogether.

World Cup minnows can spring upsets early, but as the tournament drags on, that’s where the cream rises to the top. You almost never see a semifinal, or even a quarterfinal, for that matter, without mostly top sides. That’s just how the World Cup works.

As smaller sides tire and exhaust their bag of tricks, the magic usually runs out. Sometimes unexpected nations make it far, sure — think Croatia in 2018 or Morocco in 2022 — but that hardly ever happens in larger quantities, and rarely ever involving a true minnow.

How to play the final score tiebreaker

In football, the matches with the most at stake usually play out in a conservative manner. The more important the match, the cagier it often is. That’s not a hard and fast rule, mind you, but on the whole, it holds true.

Therefore, if you’re looking for how to set your tiebreaker — usually a prediction of the scoreline for the final match — think low scoring. Teams will often approach the World Cup final placing a greater importance over not losing than going for the win, at least in the early stages of the match.

Again, this isn’t always the case. France beat Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 World Cup final, a tournament full of surprises! And four years ago, the 3-3 draw between France and Argentina was an instant classic. But there’s a reason that 2022 final in Qatar is largely considered the greatest World Cup final ever — the three finals before 2018 finished 1-0, 1-0, and 1-1. Before that, they were 2-0, 3-0, 0-0, and 1-0. So when it comes to World Cup finals, it’s generally difficult to find the back of the net!