This 48-team extravaganza is the biggest World Cup there has ever been, and it might just be the most complex too. Twelve groups of four teams might be enough to follow in the first place, but those fans of brackets who have a familiarity of past tournaments might have a sense of what the issue is here. A dozen groups do not a round-robin path to the final easily make.
As such, eight of the 12 groups will send their third-place team to the first knockout rounds, meaning 72 games will be required to trim a third off this field. Those third-place teams will be ranked first by the points they accrue and then by goal difference, goals scored, their team conduct score (yellow and red cards), and then their FIFA ranking.
In short, this could get complicated. There's going to be a lot to follow, an awful lot of permutations that might, for example, decide whether Scotland get through and Sweden don't. Catch up with all the standings below.
Thursday, June 11Mexico 2, South Africa 0South Korea 2, Czechia 1
Thursday, June 18Czechia 1, South Africa 1Mexico 1, South Korea 0
Wednesday, June 24Czechia vs. Mexico, 9 p.m.South Africa vs. South Korea, 9 p.m.
Friday, June 12Canada 1, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1
Thursday, June 18Switzerland 4, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1Canada 6, Qatar 0
Wednesday, June 24Switzerland vs. Canada, 3 p.m.Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar, 3 p.m.
Saturday, June 13Brazil 1, Morocco 1Scotland 1, Haiti 0
Friday, June 19Morocco 1, Scotland 0Brazil 3, Haiti 0
Wednesday, June 24Scotland vs. Brazil, 6 p.m.Morocco vs. Haiti, 6 p.m.
Friday, June 19USA 2, Australia 0Paraguay 1, Turkiye 0
Thursday, June 25Turkiye vs. USA, 10 p.m.Paraguay vs. Australia, 10 p.m.
Sunday, June 14Germany 7, Curacao 1Ivory Coast 1, Ecuador 0
Saturday, June 20Germany 2, Ivory Coast 1Ecuador 0, Curacao 0
Thursday, June 25Ecuador vs. Germany, 4 p.m.Curacao vs. Ivory Coast, 4 p.m.
Sunday, June 14Netherlands 2, Japan 2Sweden 5, Tunisia 1
Saturday, June 20Netherlands 5, Sweden 1Tunisia 0, Japan 4
Thursday, June 25Japan vs. Sweden, 7 p.m.Tunisia vs. Netherlands, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 15Belgium 1, Egypt 1Iran 2, New Zealand 2
Sunday, June 21Belgium 0, Iran 0Egypt 3, New Zealand 1
Friday, June 26Egypt vs. Iran, 11 p.m.New Zealand vs. Belgium, 11 p.m.
Monday, June 15Spain 0, Cabo Verde 0Saudi Arabia 1, Uruguay 1
Sunday, June 21Spain 4, Saudi Arabia 0Uruguay 2, Cabo Verde 2
Friday, June 26Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia, 8 p.m.Uruguay vs. Spain, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, June 16 France 3, Senegal 1Norway 4, Iraq 1
Monday, June 22France vs. Iraq, 5 p.m.Norway vs. Senegal, 8 p.m.
Friday, June 26Norway vs. France, 3 p.m.Senegal vs. Iraq, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, June 16Argentina 3, Algeria 0Wednesday, June 17Austria 3, Jordan 1
Monday, June 22Argentina vs. Austria, 1 p.m.Jordan vs. Algeria, 11 p.m.
Saturday, June 27Algeria vs. Austria, 10 p.m.Jordan vs. Argentina, 10 p.m.
Wednesday, June 17Portugal 1, DR Congo 1Colombia 3, Uzbekistan 1
Tuesday, June 23Portugal vs. Uzbekistan, 1 p.m.Colombia vs. DR Congo, 10 p.m.
Saturday, June 27Colombia vs. Portugal, 7:30 p.m.DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 17England 4, Croatia 2Ghana 1, Panama 0
Tuesday, June 23England vs. Ghana, 4 p.m.Panama vs. Croatia, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 27Panama vs. England, 5 p.m.Croatia vs. Ghana, 5 p.m.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.