The FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage has finally come to an end after 17 days of non-stop football featuring 48 nations across three host countries.
Packed with unforgettable moments, surprise results and standout individual performances, the expanded tournament has already delivered one of the most entertaining opening phases in World Cup history.
From Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha’s remarkable underdog story to a thrilling Golden Boot race featuring some of the biggest names in world football, North America has already witnessed dreams realised and new heroes on the global stage.
Now, the competition enters uncharted territory.
The inaugural Round of 32 is set to begin, bringing six days of blockbuster knockout football where every fixture carries the ultimate prize of a place in the last 16.
From the full fixture schedule and TV information to the biggest matches, potential upsets and England’s route to the final, here is everything you need to know ahead of the World Cup’s knockout stage.
Full round of 32 schedule – times and tv channels
Sunday 28th June 2026
South Africa vs Canada (8pm ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player)
Monday 29th June 2026
Brazil vs Japan (6pm ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player)
Germany vs Paraguay (9:30pm BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website)
Tuesday 30th June 2026
Netherlands vs Morocco (2am ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player)
Ivory Coast v Norway (6pm BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website)
France v Sweden (10pm ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player)
Wednesday 1st July 2026
Mexico vs Ecuador (2am ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player)
England vs DR Congo (5pm BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website)
Belgium vs Senegal (9pm ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player)
Thursday 2nd July 2026
USA vs Bosnia-Herzegovinia (1am BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website)
Spain vs Austria (8pm BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website)
Friday 3rd July 2026
Portugal vs Croatia (12am BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website)
Switzerland vs Algeria (4am BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website)
Australia vs Egypt (7pm BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website)
Argentina vs Cape Verde (11pm ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player)
Saturday 4th July 2026
Colombia vs Ghana (2am ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player)
Biggest matches to watch
Brazil vs Japan
This fixture has already caught the eye of football fans all over the world, as the five-time winners of the World Cup meet a Japan side desperate to secure their first ever knockout stage victory in the history of the competition.
Japan have only beaten Brazil once in their fourteen meetings, though it was their most recent clash that provided their debut victory over the South American favourites.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side have certainly grown into the tournament, scoring seven goals since conceding their first and only goal againt Morocco in their opening game.
While Japan go into this clash as underdogs given their World Cup record, they have gone unbeaten in their last 10 outings – including their victory over Brazil in a friendly.
Equalling Brazil for seven goals in the group stage, Japan will have an attacking threat that should not be underestimated and, as a result, the pair will be a great match for spectators to enjoy on Monday evening.
Netherlands vs Morocco
The early hours of Tuesday morning will set the stage for one of the most interesting match-ups in the round of 32, as the Dutch meet the Moroccans to attempt to further their impressive unbeaten record in international competition.
The Oranje have not lost a single game within 90 minutes played since the World Cup final against Spain in 2010, and have progressed in seven of their last ten knockout ties since missing out on the prestigious trophy.
Finishing just behind Brazil in Group C, Morocco held their own in the group stage holding Brazil to a 1-1 draw, keeping a clean sheet with a 1-0 win over Scotland and smashing four past Haiti in a 4-2 victory.
This meeting promises an interesting attacking battle, and with the Netherlands conceding in every single group game, there is a possibility for both teams to concede as much as they score.
Expect the unexpected from this fixture and if you can manage the 2am KO it will definitely be worth it.
Portugal vs Croatia
Portugal have been one of the most talked about teams at the World Cup so far, with opinion divided on Cristiano Ronaldo’s performances and presence on the pitch throughout the group stage.
The Nations League winners had the weight of high expectations on them when they entered the tournament and so far have struggled to light up the world stage, looking disjointed at times.
Despite remaining unbeaten in the group stage, Portugal leave behind Group K with only one win against Uzbekistan, meaning they finished as runners-up behind Colombia following their 0-0 stalemate in Miami this morning.
Croatia, on the other hand, have gone about their business quietly and could be considered unlucky to finish behind England in their Group L efforts.
Finishing their three games with six points, Luka Modric’s side managed to secure back-to-back victories over Ghana and Panama following a 4-2 defeat to the Three Lions.
Croatia’s steady, consistent and relaxed approach to their World Cup journey so far will be an interesting match-up with a disjointed Portugal side that is desperate to prove their doubters wrong.
England vs DR Congo
While on paper this fixture has England progressing written all over it, the Three Lions have struggled so far to find their identity as a collective as of yet under Thomas Tuchel.
Indeed, there has been outstanding individual brilliance from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, in particular, but with injury issues plaguing the squad throughout the group stage, it has been tough to get England operating at their full potential.
DR Congo have qualified for their first-ever knockout stages in the World Cup which is an incredible achievement in itself, but their group stage upset against Portugal to secure their first point in the competition showed they are not a side to be taken lightly.
Despite losing to group winners Colombia, DR Congo saw off Uzbekistan with a confident 3-1 win in the early hours of this morning.
England will have high expectations on them to deliver an improved, confident and collaborative victory beyond their star pairing in attack, as the round of sixteen could present a much tougher challenge if they are to progress.
England’s path to the final
England have avoided some of the tournament favourites until the latter stages, but Tuchel’s side still face a demanding route if they are to end 60 years of hurt.
Round of 16
If England get past DR Congo on Wednesday evening, they could be set to face Mexico – one of only three sides that won every single one of their three group stage games.
Not only that, should Tuchel’s men draw Mexico, they will head to their opponents’ home stadium in Mexico City – the Estadio Azteca – which is renowned as one of the most difficult stadiums to play at for an away opponent given its dizzying altitude and Mexico’s record at home.
Mexico have only conceded twice in their nine World Cup games played and tallied up two losses at the stadium in their history, with the last defeat in 2013.
They will host Ecuador in the round of 32, who would be the other option for England and perhaps the preferred, though they will be a difficult opponent owing to their incredible defensive presence.
Despite finishing third in their group, they managed to secure a 2-1 win over Germany in their final game of the round and have not conceded more than one goal in any of their 26 fixtures over the last two years so far.
Quarter-finals
This is where it starts to get a lot more difficult for England as they approach the final stages of the World Cup.
Brazil, Japan, Ivory Coast and Norway are the potential opponents for the quarter-finals depending on the outcomes of their respective round of 32 and round of 16 clashes.
If England do reach this stage of the tournament, they will play in Miami on Saturday 11th July.
Semi-finals
Should Tuchel guide England to the semi-finals of the World Cup, it would definitely give fans something to dream about over the remaining days of the tournament – they couldn’t, could they?
Reigning champions Argentina are the most likely opponents if the Three Lions can progress to this stage of the competition and would be the most difficult challenge the side have faced in a long time.
Lionel Messi has been on fire with seven goals scored already in the tournament and would undoubtedly be the biggest threat to any country’s efforts to advance.
Colombia is also a possibility if they can knockout Argentina in the quarter-finals should they both progress through the earlier stages, while Switzerland, Algeria and Ghana are all lesser likely but possible opponents.
The final
This is the hardest to predict, as the other side of the draw boasts most of the big hitters in the tournament.
England could meet former World Cup winners France, Germany and Spain in the final, while the Netherlands and Portugal will also battle it out to reach the final as potential opponents for England.
The final will be held in New Jersey at the MetLife Stadium.
World Cup storylines to follow
The golden boot race
While we all expect the most famous footballers in the world to prove their talents on the world stage, we could never have prepared ourselves for the spectacular goals we have seen across the competition.
The golden boot race is already shaping up to be not only record-breaking for so many, but a fight until the very end, here are the current standings:
Lionel Messi – 6 goals
Kylian Mbappe – 4 goals
Ousmane Dembele – 4 goals
Erling Haaland – 4 goals
Vinicius Jr – 4 goals
Harry Kane – 3 goals
Matheus Cunha – 3 goals
Brian Brobbey – 3 goals
Denis Undav – 3 goals
Is this Lionel Messi’s final World Cup run?
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has already delivered so much magic at the World Cup in the group stages and has cemented his nation as one of the strong favourites to win the entire tournament with his performances.
Turning 39 years old this week, the superstar has reopened the conversation about whether he will retire from football before the 2030 World Cup and whether he still has enough in the tank to be in contention to perform in four years time.
When asked about his future and the potential for him to feature at the next World Cup, Messi told reporters:
“I don’t know. The truth is, I’m not thinking about that right now. It seems a bit far off but, as I said, I’m living one day at a time and focused on the present,”
“Yes, yes… I will continue for some time, as long as I can contribute, feel good physically, and help my teammates… I will keep playing.”
Can Cristiano Ronaldo prove the doubters wrong?
While Messi has been lighting it up at the World Cup, his most fierce competitor Ronaldo has struggled to make his mark during the group stage.
His consecutive and undisturbed minutes for Portugal in a difficult group stage has divided opinion on whether he is past his best or simply not getting the service from his teammates, which has led to widespread social media and football punditry debate.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Manchester United legend Paul Scholes weighed in on the 41-year-old’s impact or lack of:
“I did a Stick to Football with Roberto Martinez, and I asked him off-camera. I said, ‘Is he a problem for you?’, because I feel he is a little bit of a problem. At 41 years of age… I think there’s only one position on the pitch at 41 years of age where you should be starting a game, and that’s goalkeeper, for me.”
“Cristiano will be so pissed off because Lionel Messi got a hat-trick, Kylian Mbappe got two… it will be killing him,”
“I feel sorry for Martinez because he’s trying to embrace it and he’s saying, ‘No, I’ve got the best goalscorer in the world’, but deep down he must know that’s hurting his team.”
Regardless of the noise, the knockout stages of the competition is unforgiving and very quickly separates the players who can produce moments and players who simply can’t compete with what lies ahead and Ronaldo’s World Cup will be defined by what he can bring in the round of 32 and beyond.
The introduction of a 32-team knockout stage has created one of the most unpredictable World Cups in history.
From heavyweight clashes and emerging nations to the final chapters of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s international careers, every fixture now carries enormous significance.
If the group stage was any indication, the drama is only just beginning.
