When does the World Cup 2026 Round of 16 start?
The Round of 16 ran from July 4–7, 2026. All 8 matches are complete. The Quarter-finals began July 9 with France beating Morocco 2-0 in Boston.
How does the Round of 16 work?
Single-elimination knockout. 16 teams play 8 matches. Win and you advance to the Quarter-finals. Lose and your World Cup is over. If level after 90 minutes, extra time (2×15 mins) is played, then a penalty shootout if still tied.
How do teams qualify for the Round of 16?
A team must win their Round of 32 match (June 28–July 3). The 16 Round of 32 fixtures produce 16 winners — there is no second chance.
Round of 16 — Full fixture bracket (all 8 matches confirmed)
Jul 4 · Houston ✅ FT
🇨🇦 Canada 0-3 🇲🇦 Morocco
Goals: Ounahi (x2), Rahimi · Morocco advance to QF
Jul 4 · Philadelphia ✅ FT
🇵🇾 Paraguay 0-1 🇫🇷 France
Goal: Mbappe pen 70min · France advance to QF · Mbappe 7 goals this tournament
Jul 5 · New Jersey ✅ FT
🇧🇷 Brazil 1–2 🇳🇴 Norway
Haaland 79', 90' · Neymar pen 90+5' · Norway stun Brazil · Haaland 7 goals total
Jul 5 · Mexico City (Azteca) ✅ FT
🇲🇽 Mexico 2–3 🏴 England
Bellingham 35', 37' · Kane pen 60' · England 10 men · First Azteca brace since Maradona 1986
Jul 6 · Arlington, Texas ✅ FT
🇵🇹 Portugal 0–1 🇪🇸 Spain
Merino 90+1' · Ronaldo's final World Cup · Spain 0 goals conceded across all 6 matches
Jul 6 · Seattle ✅ FT
🇺🇸 USA 1–4 🇧🇪 Belgium
De Ketelaere 2, Vanaken, Lukaku · Tillman (USA) · USMNT host nation run ends
Jul 7 · Atlanta ✅ FT
🇦🇷 Argentina 3–2 🇪🇬 Egypt
Romero 79', Messi 83', Enzo Fernández 90+2' — Argentina come back from 0-2 down · Argentina advance to QF vs Switzerland (Jul 11, Kansas City)
Jul 7 · Vancouver ✅ FT
🇨🇭 Switzerland 0–0 🇨🇴 Colombia
Switzerland won 4-3 on penalties · Switzerland advance to QF vs Argentina (Jul 11, Kansas City)
Live scores at FIFA.com
Match reports — completed fixtures
🇨🇦 Canada 0–3 🇲🇦 Morocco
✅ Full Time
Morocco controlled the match from the first whistle. Azzedine Ounahi opened the scoring with a precise low finish, then doubled it with a second-half header. Soufiane Rahimi added a late third on the counter. Canada — co-hosts and R32 winners — were never truly in it. It was Morocco's most convincing knockout win since their historic 2022 run to the semi-finals. Ounahi was the clear player of the match.
🇵🇾 Paraguay 0–1 🇫🇷 France
✅ Full Time
Paraguay were extraordinary for 70 minutes — compact, disciplined, and dangerous on the break — before substitute Désiré Doué was brought down in the penalty area by Diego Gómez. VAR confirmed it. Kylian Mbappé stepped up and slotted calmly to the bottom-right corner — his 7th goal of this tournament and 19th World Cup goal in 19 appearances. France never looked comfortable but it did not matter. The giant-killers who eliminated Germany were finally stopped.
Match reports — R16 results Jul 5–6
🇧🇷 Brazil 1–2 🇳🇴 Norway
✅ Full Time
The upset of the round. Erling Haaland powered a header in the 79th minute to put Norway ahead, then drilled an unstoppable finish into the bottom corner in the 90th for his 7th goal of the tournament. Neymar converted a stoppage-time penalty for Brazil — but too late. Norway stun the five-time champions and reach the Quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
🇲🇽 Mexico 2–3 🏴 England
✅ Full Time
Jude Bellingham scored twice in two minutes at the Estadio Azteca — the first player to score a brace at that stadium since Diego Maradona in 1986. Bellingham headed in at the 35th minute then slid a low finish in at the 37th. Harry Kane added a penalty in the 60th after England went down to 10 men. Mexico fought back to make it 3-2 but England survived. A famous night at the most iconic stadium in world football.
🇵🇹 Portugal 0–1 🇪🇸 Spain
✅ Full Time
A tense Iberian Derby settled by substitute Mikel Merino in the 90th+1 minute. 90 minutes of defensive football, VAR drama and missed chances — then Merino arrived at the back post to nod home. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, played his final World Cup game and was in tears at the full-time whistle. Spain, who conceded nothing across all 6 matches, advance to the QF vs Belgium.
🇺🇸 USA 1–4 🇧🇪 Belgium
✅ Full Time
Belgium were clinical and ruthless. Charles de Ketelaere scored twice in the first half to put Belgium in control. Hans Vanaken capitalised on a defensive error to make it 3-0. Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time fourth. Malik Tillman scored a direct free kick for the USA — the one bright moment in a heavy defeat. The USMNT's tournament run — Country Roads, the Balogun moment, Tillman's split-boot goal — is over.
Match reports — R16 results Jul 7
🇦🇷 Argentina 3–2 🇪🇬 Egypt
✅ Full Time
The comeback of the round. Egypt raced into a shock 2-0 lead and looked set to knock out the group winners — until Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute. Lionel Messi levelled it in the 83rd, and substitute Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround deep into stoppage time (90+2'). Argentina survive the biggest scare of their tournament and advance to face Switzerland.
🇨🇭 Switzerland 0–0 🇨🇴 Colombia
✅ Pens (4-3)
A cagey, goalless 120 minutes at BC Place gave way to penalties. Switzerland held their nerve to win the shootout 4-3 and reach the Quarter-finals for a second straight tournament. Colombia's run — built on the Arias winner over Ghana in the Round of 32 — ends on spot-kicks.
Quarter-final bracket — all four results are in
- 🇫🇷 France 2–0 🇲🇦 Morocco — QF1 Jul 9, FT · Gillette Stadium, Boston · France lost 2-0 to Spain in Semi-final 1 (Jul 14) — eliminated · Match report →
- 🇪🇸 Spain 2–1 🇧🇪 Belgium — QF2 Jul 10, FT · SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles · Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring, De Ketelaere levelled before HT, Merino's 88th-minute rebound won it · Spain beat France 2-0 in Semi-final 1 (Jul 14) to reach the Final · Belgium eliminated
- 🏴 England 2–1 🇳🇴 Norway — QF3 Jul 11, AET · Hard Rock Stadium, Miami · Schjelderup put Norway ahead (36'), Bellingham equalized (45+2') and scored the extra-time winner (93') · England lost 2-1 to Argentina in Semi-final 2 (Jul 15) — eliminated · Norway eliminated
- 🇦🇷 Argentina 3–1 🇨🇭 Switzerland — QF4 Jul 11, AET · Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City · Mac Allister opened (10'), Ndoye equalized (67'), Álvarez (112') and Lautaro Martínez (120+1') won it in extra time · Argentina beat England 2-1 in Semi-final 2 (Jul 15) to reach the Final · Switzerland eliminated
Biggest shock: 🇳🇴 Norway eliminated five-time champions Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16 — Haaland brace — before their historic first-ever Quarter-final run ended against England.
Semi-finals: SF1 — Spain beat France 2-0, July 14, AT&T Stadium, Dallas (Oyarzabal penalty 22', Porro 58') — Spain reach their second-ever World Cup Final. SF2 — Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1, July 15, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta (Gordon 55', Enzo Fernández 85', Lautaro Martínez 90+2') — Argentina reach their first Final since 2022. The Final is Spain vs Argentina, July 19.
Full World Cup 2026 bracket from Round of 16
Jul 4–8
Round of 16 — 16 teams, 8 matches
Jul 9–11
Quarter-finals — completed · 8 teams, 4 matches
Jul 14–15
Semi-finals — completed: Spain 2-0 France, Argentina 2-1 England
Jul 18
Third-place play-off — MetLife Stadium
Jul 19
World Cup Final — MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Is the Round of 16 new to the 2026 World Cup?
No — the Round of 16 existed in previous 32-team World Cups as the first knockout round. What's new in 2026 is the Round of 32 that now precedes it, making the Round of 16 the second knockout round rather than the first.
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