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Paraguay knocked out Germany, whereas even the Netherlands were victims of a defeat to Morocco via penalty shootouts. Other usual suspects like Spain, England and Portugal have sealed their berths in the round of 16.

England were made to work hard after going down 0-1 to DR Congo within the first seven minutes, but Harry Kane scripted a remarkable comeback to help the Three Lions clinch a 2-1 win and set up a round of 16 clash against co-hosts Mexico.

While Spain had it easy in a 3-0 win over Austria, Portugal, too, were made to sweat before overcoming a scare against Croatia in a 2-1 win. Things could have been so different had Josko Gvardiol's goal late into stoppage time been given. That would have made the game 2-2, but in the end, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal had the last laugh.

FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16 details

FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16 confirmed teams

Which round of 16 matches are already confirmed?

The following round of 16 matches are already confirmed:

• Canada vs Morocco
• Paraguay vs France
• Brazil vs Norway
• Mexico vs England
• Portugal vs Spain
• USA vs Belgium

FIFA World Cup round of 16 fixtures: Full schedule

Which slots are still pending?

As you can see in the table above, three teams are yet to qualify for the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

On the last day of the round of 32 matches on Friday, Australia will take on Egypt (11.30 pm IST), Argentina will take on Cape Verde (3.30 am IST on Saturday) and Colombia will take on Ghana (7 am IST on Saturday).

Teams' route to round of 16

Canada: Canada reached the round of 16 after recording group-stage victories over Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina before edging South Africa 1-0 in the Round of 32. They will now face Morocco for a place in the quarter-finals.

Morocco: Morocco booked their place in the round of 16 by defeating Scotland and Japan during the group stage before overcoming the Netherlands in a penalty shootout in the round of 32. Their reward is a last-16 clash against Canada.

Paraguay: Paraguay advanced to the round of 16 after group-stage wins over Türkiye and Australia. They then produced one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by eliminating Germany on penalties in the Round of 32. They will next take on France.

France: France secured qualification for the round of 16 with group-stage victories over Iraq and Norway before cruising to a 3-0 win over Sweden in the round of 32. They are set to meet Paraguay in the last 16.

Brazil: Brazil qualified for the round of 16 after defeating Haiti and Scotland in the group stage. They then overcame Japan 2-1 in the Round of 32 to set up a last-16 showdown with Norway.

Norway: Norway progressed to the round of 16 with group-stage wins against Senegal and Iraq. They followed that up with a 2-1 victory over the Ivory Coast in the round of 32 and will now face Brazil.

Mexico: Mexico earned their place in the round of 16 by beating South Africa and Czechia in the group stage before defeating Ecuador 2-0 in the round of 32. They will next play England.

England: England reached the round of 16 after group-stage victories over Panama and Ghana. They then defeated DR Congo 2-1 in the round of 32 to book a last-16 meeting with Mexico.

United States: The United States advanced after beating Australia and Turkiye in the group stage before overcoming Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32. They will now take on Belgium in the round of 16.

Belgium: Belgium qualified for the round of 16 with group-stage victories over Iran and New Zealand. They then edged Senegal 3-2 in an entertaining round of 32 contest and will face the United States next.

Spain: Spain booked their place in the round of 16 after defeating Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in the group stage. They continued their impressive run with a commanding 3-0 win over Austria in the round of 32 and will now meet Portugal.

Portugal: Portugal progressed to the round of 16 by beating Uzbekistan and DR Congo during the group stage. They then defeated Croatia 2-1 in the round of 32 to set up a blockbuster clash against Spain.

Switzerland: Switzerland reached the round of 16 after recording group-stage victories over Cameroon and Algeria. They followed that with a 2-0 win over Algeria in the round of 32 and will face the winner of Colombia vs Ghana in the last 16.

Top round of 16 matches to watch

Mexico vs England: Co-hosts Mexico are flying high in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They have maintained a 100 per cent record and are yet to concede a goal. They will face an England side who came from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1 in the round of 32.

Portugal vs Spain: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lamine Yamal will lock horns in this classic European rivalry. This could even be Ronaldo's final international match should Spain thump Portugal to reach the quarter-finals, and having said that, emotions will be running high in both camps.

Brazil vs Norway: Brazil's attack led by Vinicius Junior will be put to test against a Norway side who boast of a fiery goal-scorer in Erling Haaland and a creative playmaker in Martin Odegaard.

USA vs Belgium: This will be an interesting match-up between the co-hosts, coached by Mauricio Pochettino against dark horses Belgium, whose Golden Generation are having possibly their final chance at glory.

How does the FIFA World Cup knockout format work?

The FIFA World Cup knockout format is a one-match affair between teams. Just like any football match, the team that scores more goals after 90 minutes, plus stoppage time, will qualify for the next stage, which is the quarter-final in this case.

Should the scores be level after 90 minutes, then a 30-minute extra time, divided into two halves of 15 minutes each, will follow.

If the scores are still level after the extra time, then the match will head to a penalty shootout, starting with a best of five. If there is no clear winner from the five penalty shootouts, then comes the sudden death, wherein the first team to score wins, provided the other team misses.

Where to watch FIFA World Cup round of 16 live in India?

Football fans in India can watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the Unite8 Sports TV channels. Live streaming will also be availble on the Zee5 mobile app and website.