2026 World Cup Round of 16: Updated Match Schedule and Results
The World Cup has narrowed down from 48 teams to just 16. After the group stage trimmed the field to 32, half of those squads have now been knocked out. The Round of 16 marks a turning point where the competition heats up.
Many of the favorites remain, but there were shocks along the way. Germany was eliminated by Paraguay in the Round of 32, and the Netherlands also exited early. Now, the question is whether more surprises await or if the quarterfinals will feature mostly the traditional powerhouses.
Round of 16 Match Schedule and Results
The matchups for this knockout round were set based on earlier results. Here’s the updated list of games with scores where available:
- Sat., July 4: France 1, Paraguay 0
- Sat., July 4: Morocco 3, Canada 0
- Sun., July 5: Norway 2, Brazil 1
- Sun., July 5: England 3, Mexico 2
- Mon., July 6: Portugal vs. Spain
- Mon., July 6: USA vs. Belgium
- Tue., July 7: Argentina vs. Egypt
- Tue., July 7: Switzerland vs. Colombia
Teams Left in the Round of 16
The bracket divides into two halves, each producing one finalist. One side includes:
- Paraguay (third place Group D; eliminated Germany)
- France (Group I winner)
- Canada (Group B runner-up)
- Morocco (Group C runner-up; eliminated Netherlands)
- Portugal (Group K runner-up)
- Spain (Group H winner)
- United States (Group D winner)
- Belgium (Group G winner)
The other half features:
- Mexico (Group A winner)
- Switzerland (Group B winner)
- Brazil (Group C winner)
- Colombia (Group K winner)
- Egypt (Group G runner-up)
- Argentina (Group J winner)
- Norway (Group I runner-up)
- England (Group L winner)
How Teams Reached This Stage
Canada was the first to advance to the Round of 16 after beating South Africa 1-0 in the opening Round of 32 match. The last team to qualify was Colombia following their 1-0 win over Ghana on July 3.
Understanding the Round of 16 Format
This stage represents the second knockout round in the tournament. Matches are single elimination; no points or draws exist here. Each game must produce a winner.
If teams are tied after 90 minutes, they play an extra 30 minutes. Should the deadlock continue, the result is decided by a penalty shootout. Each side takes five shots initially, and if still level, sudden death penalties follow until one team misses and the other scores.
The Round of 16 pairings were prearranged, so teams knew their possible opponents before even playing their Round of 32 matches.
Path to the Knockouts
The tournament began with 48 qualified teams divided into 14 groups of four. Each team played three matches in a round-robin format. Wins earned three points, draws one, losses none.
The top two teams from each group plus the eight best third-place finishers advanced to the knockout stage, starting with the Round of 32. From that point, every match decides who moves forward and who leaves.
