World Cup 2026 Round of 16: all 8 matchups, times and venues confirmed

The Round of 32 is over, and all 8 Round of 16 matchups at the World Cup 2026 are now confirmed, the round that trims the field from 16 to 8 teams. They are played between July 4 and July 7, 2026, with France, Brazil, Argentina and Spain among the favorites still standing.

The 8 Round of 16 matchups, with date and venue

Every matchup comes out of the Round of 32 and is played as a single knockout game. Here are all eight, in chronological order:

What the Round of 32 left behind

Before reaching the Round of 16, the Round of 32 had already produced two of the tournament's most talked-about upsets: Germany was eliminated by Paraguay on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and the Netherlands fell to Morocco, also in a shootout. Neither European giant will reach the quarterfinals, while both teams that eliminated them are still alive in this round.

There were also matchups settled in extra time: Argentina needed 120 minutes to get past Cape Verde, and Belgium did the same against Senegal. Egypt is the only one of the 8 teams still in the Round of 16 that advanced on penalties in the Round of 32, after drawing 1-1 with Australia. You can revisit the full recap of that round, with every score and goalscorer, in our Round of 32 chronicle.

Round of 32 records and stats

The 16 Round of 32 matches, the stage introduced for this 48-team World Cup (read why it exists in our format guide), left some notable numbers before the Round of 16 began:

• 3 ties were decided on penalties: Germany 1-1 Paraguay (4-3), Netherlands 1-1 Morocco (2-3), and Australia 1-1 Egypt (2-4).
• 2 were decided in extra time without going to penalties: Belgium 3-2 Senegal and Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde, both with 5 total goals, the highest-scoring games of the round.
• The most one-sided wins (3-0): France over Sweden and Spain over Austria.
• 5 teams kept a clean sheet: Canada (1-0 over South Africa), Mexico (2-0 over Ecuador), the United States (2-0 over Bosnia and Herzegovina), Switzerland (2-0 over Algeria) and Colombia (1-0 over Ghana).

Every team eliminated in the Round of 32

Of the 32 teams that reached this stage, 16 were eliminated: South Africa, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, DR Congo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Senegal, Croatia, Austria, Algeria, Cape Verde, Ghana and Australia. None of them return for the Round of 16.

Round of 16 by confederation

Of the 16 teams left, Europe accounts for nearly half the field:

• UEFA (7): France, Norway, England, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Switzerland.
• CONMEBOL (4): Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia and Brazil.
• CONCACAF (3): Canada, Mexico and the United States, meaning all three host nations are still alive.
• CAF (2): Morocco and Egypt.

No AFC (Asia) or OFC (Oceania) side reached this stage, and South America keeps 4 of its original 6 qualifiers among the last 16.

How each team got here

Paraguay vs. France (Philadelphia)

Paraguay produced one of the biggest shocks of the Round of 32, eliminating Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw. It's only the second time in their history Paraguay have reached this stage; the only other was South Africa 2010, when they made the quarterfinals. Now they face France, one of the tournament favorites after a 3-0 rout of Sweden with two goals from Kylian Mbappé, a side carrying the pedigree of the 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up. On paper it's the most lopsided matchup of the round, but Paraguay have already shown they can handle pressure in must-win moments.

Canada vs. Morocco (Houston)

Canada, one of the co-hosts, beat South Africa 1-0 in the Round of 32 and carry the momentum of playing at home. Morocco, meanwhile, pulled off the round's most talked-about upset by eliminating the Netherlands on penalties; read the full account in our Round of 32 results recap. The Moroccans already proved in Qatar 2022 that they can compete with anyone, reaching the semifinals, the best-ever finish for an African team at a World Cup, and much of that core remains in this squad.

Brazil vs. Norway (New York)

Brazil, the only nation with 5 World Cup titles, needed a stoppage-time goal from Gabriel Martinelli to get past Japan 2-1. Norway, led by Erling Haaland, eliminated Ivory Coast 2-1 and returned to this stage after 28 years away from the World Cup. It's one of the most attractive matchups of the round, played at MetLife Stadium, host of the final.

Mexico vs. England (Mexico City)

Mexico arrives with home advantage and a clean sheet from its 2-0 win over Ecuador. As hosts, El Tri's historic ceiling at a home World Cup is the quarterfinals, reached in 1970 and 1986; getting past the Round of 16 would be a milestone for this generation. England came from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1 with a Harry Kane brace, and carries the ambition of matching its only title, won in 1966. The Mexican hosts will need their best defensive performance yet against an English side that has already shown it can fight back from adversity.

Portugal vs. Spain (Dallas)

Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in what could be one of Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup appearances, while Spain produced one of the round's biggest wins with a 3-0 victory over Austria. It's a clash between two European powers, and per our favorites analysis, Spain, the 2010 world champions, is among the sides in the best form of the tournament.

United States vs. Belgium (Seattle)

The United States, another of the three hosts, beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. Their best-ever World Cup finish remains the 1930 semifinal, the tournament's very first edition, so getting past the Round of 16 at home would already be a significant achievement. Belgium needed extra time to beat Senegal 3-2 in a back-and-forth game, and still carries several names from the squad that reached the semifinals at Russia 2018. With home support behind them, the United States will look to write a new chapter in their soccer history.

Argentina vs. Egypt (Atlanta)

The defending champions had a harder night than expected against Cape Verde, winning 3-2 in extra time with a Lionel Messi brace; read the full story in our account of Cape Verde's debut. Egypt advanced on penalties (4-2) after drawing 1-1 with Australia, and arrives as one of the tournament's surprise packages. Argentina is favored to defend the title it won at Qatar 2022, but after the Cape Verde scare, they know nothing is guaranteed at this World Cup.

Switzerland vs. Colombia (Vancouver)

Switzerland was clinical against Algeria (2-0) and brings the kind of consistency that has taken them to the Round of 16 in several recent World Cups. Colombia beat Ghana 1-0 on a Jhon Arias goal in the Round of 32, led by James Rodríguez and the rest of a squad that had already topped Group K. It's the last matchup to be confirmed and closes out the round on July 7; follow Colombia's full path in our Colombia's road at the World Cup 2026.

What's next after the Round of 16: the road to the final

The 8 winners of this round advance to the quarterfinals, played July 9 to 11. The bracket pairings are already fixed, even though the team names still depend on who wins each Round of 16 match:

From there, the tournament continues with the semifinals (July 14 and 15) and closes with the grand final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, which will also feature the first Super Bowl-style halftime show in World Cup history. Follow every matchup updated in real time on the full knockout bracket and the latest results updates.

Related articles

• Full Round of 32 results
• Cape Verde: the story against Argentina
• Colombia's path · Argentina's path · Mexico's path
• World Cup 2026 favorites
• Today's matches · Knockout bracket · Full schedule
• All teams · All 16 stadiums

Sources: the site's internal schedule and results (schedule, results), cross-checked against ESPN broadcasts. Venues and times per the official FIFA.com match schedule.