MIAMI — The 2026 FIFA World Cup enters the knockout stage on Sunday with the round of 32 featuring a mix of heavyweight showdowns, underdog stories and historic firsts after an eventful group stage.The action begins Sunday when Canada faces South Africa in a clash between two nations that have both reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.Defending champion Argentina will meet tournament surprise Cape Verde, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup knockout rounds, while five-time champion Brazil takes on Japan and European champion Spain faces Austria.Mexico, the only team to win all three group matches without conceding a goal, returns to a sold-out Estadio Azteca to face Ecuador after topping Group A with a perfect nine points and a 6-0 goal difference.The United States will play Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 after finishing second in Group B. Christian Pulisic returned from injury as a substitute in the Americans’ final group match and is expected to play a bigger role in the knockout stage.France also advanced with a perfect record and will face Sweden in one of the standout ties, with the winner set to meet either Germany or Paraguay in the round of 16.Germany, which won Group E, opens its knockout campaign against Paraguay, while Belgium, after finishing top of Group G with an emphatic 5-1 victory over New Zealand, takes on Senegal.Portugal’s reward for finishing second in its group is a difficult meeting with Croatia, while England, winners of Group L, face Congo.Australia and Egypt meet in one of the most evenly matched ties after both nations secured qualification on the final day of the group stage, while Switzerland faces Algeria after the North Africans advanced as one of the best third-placed teams.Colombia, which overtook Portugal to win its group, will play Ghana in the final round-of-32 fixture.The expanded 48-team tournament has produced several surprise qualifiers, including World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Curacao, Bosnia and Herzegovina and South Africa, alongside traditional powers such as Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain and England.Round of 32 fixturesSunday, June 28South Africa vs. CanadaMonday, June 29Germany vs. ParaguayNetherlands vs. MoroccoBrazil vs. JapanTuesday, June 30France vs. SwedenNorway vs. Ivory CoastMexico vs. EcuadorWednesday, July 1United States vs. Bosnia and HerzegovinaBelgium vs. SenegalEngland vs. CongoThursday, July 2Portugal vs. CroatiaSpain vs. AustriaSwitzerland vs. AlgeriaFriday, July 3Argentina vs. Cape VerdeAustralia vs. EgyptColombia vs. Ghana
MIAMI — The 2026 FIFA World Cup enters the knockout stage on Sunday with the round of 32 featuring a mix of heavyweight showdowns, underdog stories and historic firsts after an eventful group stage.The action begins Sunday when Canada faces South Africa in a clash between two nations that have both reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.Defending champion Argentina will meet tournament surprise Cape Verde, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup knockout rounds, while five-time champion Brazil takes on Japan and European champion Spain faces Austria.Mexico, the only team to win all three group matches without conceding a goal, returns to a sold-out Estadio Azteca to face Ecuador after topping Group A with a perfect nine points and a 6-0 goal difference.The United States will play Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 after finishing second in Group B. Christian Pulisic returned from injury as a substitute in the Americans’ final group match and is expected to play a bigger role in the knockout stage.France also advanced with a perfect record and will face Sweden in one of the standout ties, with the winner set to meet either Germany or Paraguay in the round of 16.Germany, which won Group E, opens its knockout campaign against Paraguay, while Belgium, after finishing top of Group G with an emphatic 5-1 victory over New Zealand, takes on Senegal.Portugal’s reward for finishing second in its group is a difficult meeting with Croatia, while England, winners of Group L, face Congo.Australia and Egypt meet in one of the most evenly matched ties after both nations secured qualification on the final day of the group stage, while Switzerland faces Algeria after the North Africans advanced as one of the best third-placed teams.Colombia, which overtook Portugal to win its group, will play Ghana in the final round-of-32 fixture.The expanded 48-team tournament has produced several surprise qualifiers, including World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Curacao, Bosnia and Herzegovina and South Africa, alongside traditional powers such as Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain and England.Round of 32 fixturesSunday, June 28South Africa vs. CanadaMonday, June 29Germany vs. ParaguayNetherlands vs. MoroccoBrazil vs. JapanTuesday, June 30France vs. SwedenNorway vs. Ivory CoastMexico vs. EcuadorWednesday, July 1United States vs. Bosnia and HerzegovinaBelgium vs. SenegalEngland vs. CongoThursday, July 2Portugal vs. CroatiaSpain vs. AustriaSwitzerland vs. AlgeriaFriday, July 3Argentina vs. Cape VerdeAustralia vs. EgyptColombia vs. Ghana
