3rd-Place Wildcard Race
In the new 48-team format, the 8 best of the 12 third-placed teams advance to the Round of 32. Teams are ranked by ① points ② overall goal difference ③ goals scored (head-to-head does not apply across groups); ties are then broken by fair-play score and FIFA ranking.
| # | Team | Grp | MP | GD | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  DR CongoLocked | K | 3 | +1 | 4 | Qualified |
| 2 |  SwedenLocked | F | 3 | 0 | 4 | Qualified |
| 3 |  EcuadorLocked | E | 3 | 0 | 4 | Qualified |
| 4 |  GhanaLocked | L | 3 | 0 | 4 | Qualified |
| 5 |  Bosnia & HerzegovinaLocked | B | 3 | -1 | 4 | Qualified |
| 6 |  AlgeriaLocked | J | 3 | -2 | 4 | Qualified |
| 7 |  ParaguayLocked | D | 3 | -2 | 4 | Qualified |
| 8 |  SenegalLocked | I | 3 | +2 | 3 | Qualified |
| 9 |  IranLocked | G | 3 | 0 | 3 | Eliminated |
| 10 |  South KoreaLocked | A | 3 | -1 | 3 | Eliminated |
| 11 |  ScotlandLocked | C | 3 | -3 | 3 | Eliminated |
| 12 |  UruguayLocked | H | 3 | -1 | 2 | Eliminated |
※ Rankings and the cutoff shift as the group stage unfolds. The final 8 are confirmed once every group is complete.