The first phase of the tournament is over and the teams will now meet for the round of 32
The 2026 World Cup has reached its decisive stage, and every remaining nation now knows the route it must navigate to reach the final. After the group phase, the original 48-team field was reduced to 32 contenders, shifting the tournament into a win-or-go-home knockout format. This expanded edition’s first-ever 12-group setup sent the 12 group winners, 12 runners-up and eight best third-place finishers into the next round, with the field then narrowing to 16 teams still chasing the trophy.
The round of 32 delivered plenty of intrigue across the bracket. The United States men’s national team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1, overcoming a red card to Folarin Balogun to book a round-of-16 meeting with Belgium, who rallied dramatically to defeat Senegal 3-2 after extra time. Elsewhere, Croatia and Portugal renewed their rivalry in a rematch of the 2016 Euro final, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric still serving as leading figures for their countries before the Iberian side advanced on a late winner. Norway, powered by Erling Haaland, edged Ivory Coast 2-1, while Kylian Mbappe added another historic moment by scoring twice in France’s 3-0 victory over Sweden. One of the round’s biggest surprises came from Cabo Verde, who twice fought back from one-goal deficits against Argentina before Lionel Messi and his teammates finally sealed a 3-2 win in the second half of extra time.
Canada have already written a new chapter of their own, beating South Africa to claim the nation’s first-ever victory in the knockout stage of a World Cup.
Here is what to know as the round of 32 comes to a close and attention turns to the round of 16:
Current World Cup bracket
CBS Sports
Round of 32 results
Round of 16 bracket projection
As of Monday, June 30, 7 p.m. ET. The teams in bold have been confirmed.
- July 4 — 1 p.m. ET: vs. – NRG Stadium, Houston, United States
- July 4 — 5 p.m. ET: vs. – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States
- July 5 — 4 p.m. ET: Brazil vs. – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States
- July 5 — 8 p.m. ET: vs. – Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
- July 6 — 3 p.m. ET: vs. – AT&T Stadium, Dallas, United States
- July 6 — 8 p.m. ET: vs. – Lumen Field, Seattle, United States
- July 7 — 12 p.m. ET: vs. – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States
- July 7 — 4 p.m. ET: vs. Colombia/Ghana – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Eliminated teams in the round of 32
- South Africa
- Japan
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Ivory Coast
- Sweden
- Ecuador
- DR Congo
- Senegal
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Austria
- Croatia
- Algeria
- Australia
- Cabo Verde
Eliminated teams at the group stage
- Qatar
- Panama
- Tunisia
- Turkiye
- Haiti
- Jordan
- Czechia
- Curacao
- Iraq
- Uruguay
- Saudi Arabia
- New Zealand
- Scotland
- Uzbekistan
- Iran
