MIAMI: The group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has concluded, with 32 teams advancing to the Round of 32 as the tournament enters its knockout phase.
The next stage of the competition begins on Sunday, with the winners of each match progressing to the Round of 16, while the losing teams will be eliminated from the tournament.
The first match of the Round of 32 will see South Africa up against Canada.
Some of the exciting matches that will be played include Brazil vs Japan and Germany vs Paraguay. Another match is Netherlands vs Morocco.
Ivory Coast faces Norway, and France faces Sweden.
The matches that will also be played include Mexico vs Ecuador, England vs DR Congo, Belgium vs Senegal, and the USA hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The remaining matches will include Spain vs Austria, Portugal vs Croatia, Switzerland vs Algeria, Australia vs Egypt, Argentina vs Cape Verde, and finally Colombia vs Ghana.
The Round of 16 will begin after the completion of the knockout round, with the 16 winners advancing in the race for the FIFA World Cup title.
Messi Rewrites World Cup Record Books with Historic Goal
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi etched his name deeper into football history by becoming the first player to score in seven consecutive FIFA World Cup matches.
Messi broke the record after scoring against Jordan in a game, surpassing the existing record of scoring in six consecutive FIFA World Cup games which was shared by Just Fontaine and Jairzinho.
Messi scored the third goal for his team from the penalty spot in the 80th minute in an effort that increased their lead by 3-1.
The unique run of Messi in terms of scoring goals in FIFA World Cups started from the ongoing tournament where he scored against Australia in the Round of 16 match. He then went on to score against the Netherlands, Croatia and France helping his side win the coveted trophy.
In the current FIFA World Cup, Messi maintained his record and scored a hat-trick against Algeria and two goals against Austria besides one against Jordan.
With this goal, Messi’s aggregate World Cup goals tally now stands at 19 goals.
Fontaine set the previous record of scoring in six successive World Cup matches during the 1958 tournament, while Jairzinho matched the feat in the 1970 edition.
