How does qualification for the World Cup knockout stage work?

How does qualification for the World Cup knockout stage work?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, England are aiming to win Group L - but their potential path to the final is trickyByChris AdamsBBC Sport journalistPublished3 minutes agoCommentsAs the planet's elite footballers put every effort into qualifying for the latter stages of the 2026 World Cup, fans around the globe are working almost as hard trying to understand who will play who in the knockout rounds.An expanded 48-team tournament, new tiebreaker rules, and three host countries with four different time zones make it difficult for even the most ardent supporter to stay across the schedule, let alone the casual viewer major tournaments attract.Given the 495 possible combinations of matches involving the eight third-placed teams who will progress to the last 32, you could be forgiven for failing to grasp the new format.To take the strain out of the situation, BBC Sport has developed a predictor tool that updates in-game to illustrate the schedule all the way to the final.So how does a team qualify for the next round and how is the draw shaping up as things stand? We take a look into the (hypothetical) future.Who goes through and how?Over the next eight days, the World Cup group stage will come to a close. Of the record 48 teams involved, 16 will be eliminated, leaving 32 nations - the number the competition started with from 1998 to 2022.The top two teams in each of the 12 groups will advance to the last 32. Two of the tournament's co-hosts, Mexico and the United States, have already booked their place with back-to-back victories - a boon to organisers in terms of keeping the home crowds invested.Naturally, whoever has the most points tops the group, but it is when two or more countries are level on points that things get complicated.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Scotland are currently the best ranked third-placed team - but that could quickly changeWhat are the tiebreakers?Goal dif...