FIFA 2026 World Cup Knockout Stage Begins, Favorites Emerge
Quick Look
- The FIFA 2026 World Cup has entered its knockout phase with 32 teams remaining.
- Canada defeated South Africa 1-0 in the first round of 32 match.
- France, Argentina, and Spain are highlighted as strong contenders, with key players like Messi, Mbappé, and Dembélé leading the scoring charts.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The FIFA 2026 World Cup group stage concluded, narrowing the field to 32 teams for the knockout phase. The knockout matches began on Sunday, June 28th, with Canada defeating South Africa.
The FIFA 2026 World Cup is down to the last 32 teams after the group stage concluded on Saturday night.
The knockout phase kicked off on Sunday when South Africa faced cohosts Canada in Los Angeles, before Brazil met Japan on Monday.
Canada defeated South Africa 1-0 in Inglewood, advancing to the round of 16 and sending South Africa home.
Fixtures
Monday 29 June:
Brazil vs. Japan - Houston
Germany vs. Paraguay - Boston
Tuesday 30 June 2026
Netherlands vs. Morocco - Monterrey
Ivory Coast vs. Norway - Dallas
France vs. Sweden - New Jersey
Wednesday 1 July 2026
Mexico vs. Ecuador - Mexico City
England vs. DR Congo - Atlanta
Belgium vs. Senegal - Seattle
Thursday 2 July 2026
USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina - San Francisco Bay Area
Spain vs. Austria - Los Angeles
Friday 3 July 2026
Portugal vs. Croatia - Toronto
Switzerland vs. Algeria - Vancouver
Australia vs. Egypt - Dallas
Saturday 4 July 2026
Argentina vs. Cape Verde - Miami
Colombia vs. Ghana - Kansas City
Favourites
France have made a mightily impressive start to their campaign, scoring 10 goals in victories over Senegal, Iraq and Norway.
Head coach Didier Deschamps' star-studded team is looking to hit back after their defeat to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina in Qatar in 2022, and they look likely to make it far in the tournament.
Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé and 2025 Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé have already notched up four goals for Les Bleus, who play English coach Graham Potter's Sweden in the round of 32.
However, France could face a stern test in the knockout phase, with potential matchups against Germany in the round of 16 and Spain in the semifinals.
Argentina also came out swinging in the group stage, with Messi the tournament's top scorer on six goals in three games.
The Argentines, who beat Algeria, Austria and Jordan as they topped Group J, have been handed a relatively favourable path to the semifinals. They face Cape Verde, before one of Australia or Egypt to book a place in the quarterfinals, where they will play either Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia or Ghana.
Reigning European champions Spain were the bookmakers' pick to lift the trophy before the tournament, but a 0-0 draw in their opening match against World Cup newcomers Cape Verde - who have also managed to qualify for the knockouts - may have raised some question marks over their form.
They bounced back with a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia before knocking Uruguay out of the tournament with a 1-0 win.
A Spanish victory over Austria in the round of 32 could set up a crunch match against Portugal.
Portugal had also been tipped by some to make a run to the final, but they struggled to a 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in their first match and failed to score against Colombia.
They made up for the lack of goals with a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan, who were making their first World Cup appearance, but doubts remain over their chances.
Roberto Martínez's side has one of the strongest midfields at the World Cup, with Paris Saint-Germain's Vitinha and João Neves and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes just some of the options available.
But the Portugal camp has also been swamped with noise around the inclusion of legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, who has continued to make the team despite struggles in front of goal - although he managed to net twice against Uzbekistan.
Other contenders include Thomas Tuchel's England, who topped Group L, five-time winners Brazil and four-time champions Germany.
England and Brazil's side of the draw looks more open, and the two could meet in the quarterfinals. England will have to get past the DR Congo and one of either Mexico or Ecuador first, while Brazil face Japan before a potential matchup with Norway or the Ivory Coast.
Key stats
Messi has bagged six goals so far and leads the race for the Golden Boot. France's Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, Brazil's Vinícius Júnior and Norway striker Erling Haaland are on four goals each. Germany, France and the Netherlands have scored 10 goals apiece.
FIFA's Power Rankings, which assign players a score between 0-10 in the categories of attacking, creativity and defending, have Germany's Deniz Undav as the tournament's top performer so far.
Undav has three goals and two assists across just 106 minutes of gametime.
He's followed by the somewhat predictable trio of Messi, Mbappé and Vinícius.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Brazil will play Japan in Houston on June 29th.
Very likely · Within days
France could face Germany in the round of 16.
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Which team will win the FIFA 2026 World Cup?
- Who will win the Golden Boot?
- How will Portugal perform in the later stages?
