World Cup 2026: Round of 16 fixtures, kick-off times and venues - DAZN
The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage is underway, featuring an expanded format with 32 teams competing in 16 matchups. This marks the first time in the tournament’s history that the knockout phase begins with such a large field. The competition has already seen several significant fixtures as teams vie for a spot in the next round.
On Sunday, June 28, the knockout stage commenced at Los Angeles Stadium with a match between Canada, who finished second in Group B, and South Africa, the second-place team from Group A. This game set the stage for a series of intense encounters, where the stakes are high as teams face a win-or-go-home scenario.
Key matchups in the round of 32
Monday, June 29, featured three notable games. The first match saw Brazil, the Group C winner and five-time World Cup champions, take on Japan in Houston Stadium. Japan, ranked No. 17 globally, finished second in Group F. The two nations share strong historical ties, with a significant Japanese diaspora in Brazil. Their only previous World Cup meeting in 2006 resulted in a 4-1 victory for Brazil. Japan’s coach, Hajime Moriyasu, believes their recent 3-2 friendly win against Brazil in Tokyo will motivate the Brazilians further, expecting an intense match.
The second game on Monday pitted Germany, the Group E winner, against Paraguay at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Germany, returning to the knockout rounds for the first time since their 2014 World Cup victory, scored 10 goals in the group stage, tying for the most among all teams. Their coach, Julian Naglesmann, at 38 years and 341 days old, is the youngest manager in the knockout round since France’s Henri Michel in 1986. Paraguay, which finished third in Group D, is expected to be without defender Omar Alderete due to a knee injury, with Jose Canale anticipated to start in his place. The winner of this match will advance to face the winner of the France and Sweden game on July 4 in Philadelphia.
The final match on Monday was a clash between Netherlands and Morocco at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico. The Netherlands, who topped Group F, is often considered the strongest country never to have won a World Cup, having reached the finals three times, most recently losing to Spain in 2010. Morocco, finishing second in Group C, has risen in prominence following a surprise run to the 2022 World Cup semifinals. The winner of this highly anticipated fixture will proceed to face Canada in the round of 16 on July 4 in Houston.
Upcoming fixtures and advancing teams
The knockout stage continues with more matches scheduled for Tuesday, June 30. At Dallas Stadium, Ivory Coast will play Norway. Later, France will face Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium. The day concludes with Mexico taking on Ecuador at Mexico City Stadium.
Wednesday, July 1, will feature England against DR Congo at Atlanta Stadium. Following this, Belgium will play Senegal at Seattle Stadium. The day’s action will wrap up with the USA facing Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Stadium.
Further matches are scheduled for Thursday, July 2, including Spain versus Austria at Los Angeles Stadium. Portugal will play Croatia at Toronto Stadium. The day’s last game will see Switzerland against Algeria at BC Place Vancouver.
The round of 32 concludes on Friday, July 3, with Egypt playing Australia at Dallas Stadium. Argentina will then face Cape Verde at Miami Stadium. The final match of this round will be between Colombia and Ghana at Kansas City Stadium.
Canada secured their first-ever World Cup knockout round victory and advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in their history. Additionally, nine out of 10 African countries advanced to this year’s knockout round, marking a record for the continent, with Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde, Egypt, DR Congo, and Algeria all making it to the round of 32.
Source: tsn.ca
