The knockouts have a shape. The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 is resolving into the last 16, and several heavyweight ties are already locked in for July 4-7. This is a factual, verified rundown of the confirmed fixtures — with WorldCupElite's own predictions clearly flagged as analysis, not betting-market data. A handful of slots still hang on the final Round-of-32 results, and we note those below rather than guess them.

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Confirmed Round of 16 Fixtures at a Glance

  • Sat, July 4 — Canada vs Morocco · Houston
  • Sat, July 4 — Paraguay vs France · Philadelphia
  • Sun, July 5 — Brazil vs Norway · East Rutherford, NJ
  • Sun, July 5 — Mexico vs England · Mexico City (Estadio Azteca)
  • Mon, July 6 — USA vs Belgium · Seattle

Three further ties — Portugal/Croatia vs Spain/Austria, Argentina/Cape Verde vs Australia/Egypt, and Switzerland/Algeria vs Colombia/Ghana — are still awaiting their final Round-of-32 results and will be confirmed once those matches are played.

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How We Got Here: The Road Through the Round of 32

The expanded 48-team format delivered a genuine Round of 32, and it produced drama and a few scares for the favourites:

  • USA 2-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina — the co-hosts advanced despite a Folarin Balogun red card, and now meet Belgium.
  • Belgium 3-2 Senegal (AET) — Belgium came from two goals down to win in extra time.
  • France 3-0 Sweden and Brazil 2-1 Japan — the European and South American favourites moved through in control.
  • Germany 1-1 Paraguay (3-4 pens) and Netherlands 1-1 Morocco (2-3 pens) — two of the biggest shocks, with Paraguay and Morocco advancing on penalties.
  • Norway 2-1 Ivory Coast — Norway won a knockout tie to set up a meeting with Brazil.
  • Mexico 2-0 Ecuador, England past Congo DR and Canada 1-0 South Africa — the host nations and England all progressed.

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The Ties Worth Circling

Mexico vs England — Estadio Azteca, July 5

Host nation Mexico back in the cauldron of the Azteca against an England side carrying real expectation. Altitude, a hostile crowd and knockout tension make this the tie of the round on paper.

  • WorldCupElite prediction (analysis, not odds): England edge a tight one, but the Azteca keeps Mexico in it deep into the game. Lean: England, narrowly — do not rule out extra time.

USA vs Belgium — Seattle, July 6

The co-hosts, roared on by a home crowd, against a Belgium side that just showed its resilience by overturning a two-goal deficit. The USA must manage the suspension fallout from the Balogun red card.

  • WorldCupElite prediction: Belgium's individual quality is the edge, but a home crowd makes this a genuine contest. Lean: Belgium, slightly — a one-goal game.

Brazil vs Norway — East Rutherford, July 5

Brazil's attacking fluency against a Norway side enjoying a landmark run. On current form Brazil are clear favourites, but Norway have already proven they can win a knockout tie.

  • WorldCupElite prediction: Brazil to control and progress, but Norway's front line will test them. Lean: Brazil.

Paraguay vs France & Canada vs Morocco — July 4

France, ruthless so far, meet a Paraguay side riding the high of a penalty shootout upset over Germany. Later, co-hosts Canada face a Morocco team that once again defied the odds to knock out the Netherlands.

  • WorldCupElite prediction: France are strong favourites over Paraguay; Canada vs Morocco is the closer of the two, with Morocco's tournament pedigree giving them a slight edge.

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The Bigger Picture

With five ties confirmed and three still to be decided, the bottom and top halves of the bracket are separating the genuine contenders — France, Brazil, Belgium, England — from the sides riding momentum and penalty-shootout nerve. The Round of 16 runs two matches a day from July 4 through July 7, and the quarter-final picture will be complete by the end of it.

WorldCupElite will keep tracking the verified knockout results and fixtures as World Cup 2026 reaches its decisive phase. For the latest, see our news feed.

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A Note on Accuracy

Every fixture and result above is drawn from official and major-outlet reporting on the actual tournament. Predictions are clearly labelled as WorldCupElite's own analytical view and are not presented as betting-market probabilities.

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Official References & Links