Every Round of 16 Match at the 2026 World Cup: Dates, Kickoff Times

Just 16 teams remain in the 2026 World Cup heading into the first weekend of July.

Brazil advanced at the expense of Japan. | Michael Regan/FIFA/Getty Images

The 32 teams that made it through the group stage of the 2026 World Cup have now become 16.

With the round of 32 now in the books, the stakes are at their highest for every fixture, with each team potentially just 90 minutes away from seeing their World Cup journeys end. The freshly concluded round of fixtures was blessed with some stunning shocks, from the elimination of Germany and the Netherlands, to the almighty scare Cabo Verde gave Argentina.

The brackets for the knockout stages have already been set, meaning teams know the potential opponents waiting for them in the later rounds.

Here is every confirmed match in the upcoming round of 16.

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Confirmed Round of 16 Matches at the 2026 World Cup

Canada vs. Morocco

Morocco bested the Netherlands on penalties. | Heuler Andrey/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

• Location: Houston, United States
• Stadium: NRG Stadium
• Date: Saturday, July 4
• Kickoff Time: 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m BST

Canada was the first team to book its place in the round of 16, winning its first-ever World Cup knockout game thanks to a stoppage-time strike from Stephen Eustáquio that dumped South Africa out of the competition.

The reward for Canada is a tough test against Morocco. The African giant enjoyed their own stoppage-time strike to equalize against the Netherlands and ultimately take the game to penalties, where Morocco emerged victorious.

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Paraguay vs. France

Paraguay earned the biggest World Cup win in its country’s history. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

• Location: Philadelphia, United States
• Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field
• Date: Saturday, July 4
• Kickoff Time: 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT / 10 p.m BST

Paraguay earned the biggest World Cup win in its country’s history, defeating Germany to send shockwaves throughout global soccer. The South Americans defeated the European powerhouse in a penalty shootout, after drawing 1–1.

It seems unlikely that Paraguay will achieve the impossible for a second consecutive time and upset France in the round of 16. The 2022 finalist and heavy tournament favorite looked every bit a World Cup winner against Sweden, dismantling the team 3–0 with a brace from Kylian Mbappé.

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Brazil vs. Norway

Brazil showed resilience in Houston to defeat Japan. | Lars Baron/Getty Images

• Location: East Rutherford, United States
• Stadium: MetLife Stadium
• Date: Sunday, July 5
• Kickoff Time: 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT / 9 p.m BST

It was a nail-biter, but Brazil narrowly defeated Japan 2–1 to cement a spot in the round of 16. The five-time world champion relied on the last-gasp heroics of Gabriel Martinelli, who found the back of the net in the sixth minute of stoppage time to prevent an overtime battle.

Brazil will face off against dark horse Norway, who is led by star striker Erling Haaland. His 85th-minute finish secured the Scandinavians a 2–1 victory over a gritty Côte d’Ivoire side. Brazil may have a difficult time stymying Haaland’s goalscoring, considering the 6'4" marauding hulk just became the fastest player ever to reach 60 international goals. He did so in just 53 matches.

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Mexico vs. England

Kane’s late brace rescued England against DR Congo. | Evrim Aydin/Anadolu/Getty Images

• Location: Mexico City, Mexico
• Stadium: Estadio Azteca
• Date: Sunday, July 5 / Monday, July 6
• Kickoff Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT / 1 a.m BST (July 6)

Mexico downed Ecuador 2–0 in the round of 32 and remains the only team that has not conceded a goal thus far in the tournament.

After a shaky, comeback 2–1 win over DR Congo to punch its ticket to the last 16, England won’t feel so confident facing Mexico, especially in the biblical Estadio Azteca, where El Tri have lost just twice competitively in the last 56 years.

Despite plenty of debate, the fixture is indeed kicking off at 6 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT / 1 a.m BST).

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Portugal vs. Spain

Spain remains one of the favorites. | Chen Yichen/Xinhua/Getty Images

• Location: Arlington, United States
• Stadium: AT&T Stadium
• Date: Monday, July 6
• Kickoff Time: 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. BST

Spain made light work of Austria in the round of 32, roaring to a 3–0 victory to prove exactly why it is seen as one of the favorites to go all the way this summer. Mikel Oyarzabal has been leading the way for La Roja with a return of four goals so far.

That win sets up a meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, who emerged from a hectic clash with Croatia to book its place in the next round and set up a replay of the 2025 UEFA Nations League final, which was won on penalties by Portugal.

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USMNT vs. Belgium

The U.S. is on its way to the last 16. | Kohjiro Kinno/ Sports Illustrated

• Location: Seattle, United States
• Stadium: Lumen Field
• Date: Monday, July 6 / Tuesday, July 7
• Kickoff Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT / 1 a.m BST (July 7)

The U.S. men’s national team overcame Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–0, despite playing a man down from the 64th minute onward. Star striker Folarin Balogun was shown a red card for a “serious foul” and will be sidelined for the last 16, forcing manager Mauricio Pochettino to make some tough decisions about who can replace him.

The Americans will battle Belgium, who is not shaping up to be the powerhouse that it was purported to be entering the summer. The Red Devils just narrowly defeated Senegal, coming back from a 2–0 deficit to win 3–2 on a penalty kick in the 125th minute of overtime.

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Argentina vs. Egypt

Lionel Messi (right) and Argentina’s center backs led them past a brilliant Cabo Verde. | Michael Reaves/Getty Images

• Location: Atlanta, United States
• Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• Date: Tuesday, July 7
• Kickoff Time: 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 5 p.m BST

If Argentina deliver a performance with anywhere near the same complacency demonstrated in a lucky victory over Cabo Verde, the round of 16 could be where Lionel Messi’s tournament ends. That’s if Egypt can take advantage, however.

A side which is still spearheaded by the blunt point of Mohamed Salah had never previously won a World Cup knockout match before Friday’s dramatic penalty shootout win over Australia. It would appear unlikely that a second lies in store.

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Switzerland vs. Colombia

Switzerland fans have been out in force this summer. | ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP/Getty Images

• Location: Vancouver, Canada
• Stadium: BC Place
• Date: Tuesday, July 7
• Kickoff Time: 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT / 9 p.m BST

It may be tough to argue that the best has been saved for last in the round of 16. While Switzerland and Colombia have both battled through the competition on merit, the pair are not two of the most glamorous contenders. But that could be to their advantage.

Some of the best matches of this World Cup have been between unfancied sides—who could have foreseen the thriller that New Zealand and Iran produced?

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When Does the Round of 16 Begin?

The first match in the World Cup round of 16 is scheduled for July 4. Two games will be played every day until the final round of games on July 7.

July 8 brings a rare day off for everyone at the World Cup, giving those that have progressed enough chance to rest and recover before the quarterfinals get underway on July 9.

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2026 World Cup Knockout Schedule

Phase	Dates
Round of 16	July 4–7
Quarterfinals	July 9–11
Semifinals	July 14–15
Final	July 19

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