Football rules
World Cup group stage explained
Forty-eight teams, twelve groups, and a path to the knockouts. FootyPlain explains the format without the jargon.
Learn in 3 steps
48 teams, 12 groups
Each group has four teams. Every team plays the others in its group once.
Who goes through?
The top two teams from most groups qualify for the knockouts, along with the best third-placed teams.
Tiebreakers
If teams are level on points, goal difference and goals scored usually decide who ranks higher.
For teachers & parents
Draw twelve groups of four on a board. Explain that the top two from each group usually advance, plus the best third-placed teams. Then explore real standings in FootyPlain chat with World Cup context.
Tip: turn on child-friendly mode in chat settings for simpler words and picture-style answers.