The first phase of the tournament is over and the teams will now meet for the round of 32
It’s the business end of the 2026 World Cup and every team left in the tournament knows what their path to the final is set to be. The 48 teams involved in the tournament were knocked down to 32 at the end of the group stage and now we’re into the round of 16. The tournament is now into the knockout phase, and it’s do-or-die single elimination. The first-of-its kind 12 group group stage sent 12 first-place teams, 12 second-place teams and the eight best third-place teams to this stage of the tournament, and now it’s down to 16 in the race to see who will be left standing.
The field had an interesting set of matchups. The United States men’s national team took on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1, winning despite a red card to take Folarin Balogun to advance and take on Belgium who downed Senegal 3-2 after a stunning comeback, in the round of 16. Elsewhere in the bracket, the round of 32 has a rematch of the 2016 Euro final between Croatia and Portugal, remarkably with stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric still leading their teams with the Iberian side moving through after a late winner. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland’s Norway won 2-1 against Ivory Coast and Kylian Mbappe made history again, scoring a brace during France’s 3-0 win against Sweden. And in perhaps the round of 32’s most surprising results Cabo Verde pushed Argentina to the brink, twice erasing one-goal deficits before Lionel Messi and company finally put the game away, 3-2 in the second half of extra time.
Canada have also already made history by defeating South Africa, handing them their first knockout stage win in the country’s history.
Here’s all you need to know as the round of 16 begins:
Current World Cup bracket
CBS Sports
Round of 16 bracket projection
As of Monday, June 30, 7 p.m. ET. The teams in bold have been confirmed.
Morocco 3, Canada 0
France 1, Paraguay 0
July 5 — 4 p.m. ET: Brazil vs. Norway – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States
July 5 — 8 p.m. ET: Mexico vs. England – Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
July 6 — 3 p.m. ET: Portugal vs. Spain – AT&T Stadium, Dallas, United States
July 6 — 8 p.m. ET: United States vs. Belgium – Lumen Field, Seattle, United States
July 7 — 12 p.m. ET: Argentina vs. Egypt – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States
July 7 — 4 p.m. ET: Switzerland vs. Colombia – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Eliminated teams in the round of 16
Round of 32 results
South Africa 0, Canada 1
Brazil 2, Japan 1
Germany 1, Paraguay 1 (4-3 on pens)
Netherlands 1, Morocco 1 (3-2 on pens)
Ivory Coast 1, Norway 2
France 3, Sweden 0
Mexico 2 vs. Ecuador 0
England 2, DR Congo 1
Belgium 3, Senegal 2 (AET)
United States 2, Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
Spain 3, Austria 0
Portugal 2, Croatia 1
Switzerland 2, vs. Algeria 0
Australia 1, vs. Egypt 1 (4-2 on penalties)
Argentina 3, Cabo Verde 2 (AET)
July 3: Colombia 1, Ghana 0
Eliminated teams in the round of 32
South Africa
Japan
Germany
Netherlands
Ivory Coast
Sweden
Ecuador
DR Congo
Senegal
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Austria
Croatia
Algeria
Australia
Cabo Verde
Ghana
Eliminated teams at the group stage
Qatar
Panama
Tunisia
Turkiye
Haiti
Jordan
Czechia
Curacao
Iraq
Uruguay
Saudi Arabia
New Zealand
Scotland
Uzbekistan
Iran
