With the final round of group-stage fixtures kicking off on 24 June, attention turns to the knockout rounds — and the path to World Cup glory on 19 July is beginning to take shape.

Navigating the bracket is not straightforward. A record 48 teams entered this tournament, and 32 of them advance to the knockout rounds. Add in new tiebreaker rules and a third-placed teams table, and tracking every permutation becomes a genuine challenge.

England and Scotland on a collision course

As things stand, England — top of Group L — and Scotland — third in Group C — are set to meet in the last 16 in Mexico City on 6 July (01:00 BST). However, both those positions remain subject to change based on final group results.

England face Panama and Scotland take on Brazil in their respective final group matches. Results elsewhere in the groups will also play a significant role in determining who goes where in the bracket.

How knockout qualification works

Of the 48 teams in the competition, 16 will be eliminated at the group stage. The remaining 32 progress to the last 32.

The top two finishers from each of the 12 groups earn automatic passage. The final eight spots are filled by the best eight third-placed teams from across all groups.

When teams finish level on points, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head results between the tied sides. If parity remains, the standings move to goal difference, then goals scored, then FIFA's Team Conduct Score — a disciplinary metric based on red and yellow cards. The final arbiter, if all else is equal, is each team's FIFA world ranking from June's published update.

These same criteria apply both within the 12 groups of four and when ranking the 12 third-placed finishers against one another to determine which eight advance.

BBC Sport has launched a predictor tool that updates in real time to show the full schedule through to the final, including dates, times, and venues — covering all three host countries and four time zones.