If you’re a fan of Scotland, South Korea or any other team that finishes in third place in its group at the World Cup, the question is now: Are we in? These teams are waiting in limbo, unsure whether they have done enough to advance to the knockout rounds. Unlike in past tournaments, where only each group’s top two teams advanced, this year, eight of the 12 third-place teams will move on to the Round of 32. Those standings are determined by points, then goal differential — and, perhaps most critically, they are not finalized until all groups have finished play. (The last group-stage...

An expanded format for this summer's World Cup in North America has forced FIFA to introduce new rules to determine which teams reach the knockout stage

Eight of the 12 teams which finish third in the group stage will still qualify for the knockouts.