Round of 16 Set for 2026 World Cup: Spain vs. Portugal, Brazil vs. Norway Highlight Knockout Stage

The 2026 North and Central American World Cup, the first in FIFA history to feature 48 nations in the final tournament, has narrowed down to the round of 16, marking the beginning of the true battle of the giants.

The tournament concluded its round of 32 matches across the United States on July 4 (KST), finalizing the lineup for the round of 16.

Looking at the 16 teams by continent, European nations account for the largest share with seven teams.

Led by 2022 Qatar World Cup runner-up France, England, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Belgium, and Switzerland have all advanced to the round of 16.

From South America, defending champion Argentina, along with Brazil, Colombia, and Paraguay, have made it to the knockout stage.

The co-hosting nations of North and Central America—the United States, Mexico, and Canada—have all survived, while Egypt and Morocco remain as the sole representatives from Africa.

All teams from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) were eliminated in the round of 32.

A total of nine AFC nations participated in this tournament.

Seven countries, including South Korea, were eliminated in the group stage. Japan and Australia reached the round of 32, but Japan lost 1-2 to Brazil on June 30, and Australia was defeated by Egypt in a penalty shootout earlier today, failing to advance further.

The round of 16 begins with a match between Canada and Morocco at Houston Stadium on July 5 at 2:00 a.m.

On the same day at 6:00 a.m., France will face Paraguay at Philadelphia Stadium.

On July 6 at 5:00 a.m., title favorite Brazil will meet Norway, led by "monster striker" Erling Haaland, at New York New Jersey Stadium. At 9:00 a.m., Harry Kane's England will take on host nation Mexico at Mexico City Stadium.

The match between Spain and Portugal, scheduled for July 7 at 4:00 a.m. at Dallas Stadium, is arguably the biggest matchup of the round of 16.

Following that, at 9:00 a.m. on the same day in Seattle, the United States will aim for a quarterfinal spot against Belgium.

Defending champion Argentina, which narrowly escaped a potential upset by African island nation Cape Verde in the round of 32 before winning in extra time, will clash with Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah, at Atlanta Stadium on July 8 at 1:00 a.m.

Finally, Switzerland and Colombia will play the last round of 16 match in Vancouver, Canada, at 5:00 a.m. on the same day.

The race for the Golden Boot is also heating up, as the top seven scorers have all advanced to the round of 16.

As of the end of the round of 32, Lionel Messi, often called the "God of Football," leads the scoring chart with 7 goals, followed by Kylian Mbappé (France) with 6 goals, and Haaland and Kane with 5 goals each.

France's Ousmane Dembélé, Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal, and Brazil's Vinícius Júnior have each recorded 4 goals and will look to add to their tallies in the round of 16.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.