NEW YORK: The FIFA World Cup 2026 enters its Round of 16 on Saturday, with the tournament's remaining 16 teams beginning the race for a place in the quarterfinals after an expanded knockout stage narrowed the field.
Following the group stage and the newly introduced Round of 32, co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico advanced alongside Brazil, Paraguay, Morocco, Norway, France, England, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Egypt, Argentina and Colombia.
The Round of 16 opens Saturday with Canada facing Morocco in Houston, while Paraguay takes on France in Philadelphia.
On Sunday, Brazil will meet Norway at New York New Jersey Stadium before Mexico hosts England at Mexico City Stadium.
Monday's schedule features an all-European clash between Portugal and Spain in Dallas, followed by the United States against Belgium in Seattle.
The final two Round of 16 matches will be played Tuesday, with Argentina facing Egypt in Atlanta and Switzerland taking on Colombia in Vancouver.
The winners of the eight matches will advance to the quarterfinals as the tournament moves closer to the July 19 final.
More read, Cristiano Ronaldo finally ends World Cup knockout curse
Earlier, for almost 20 years, Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved success on nearly every stage in football. He has dominated the UEFA Champions League, won international trophies with Portugal and broken goal-scoring records around the world.
However, one record followed him throughout his career, he had never scored in a FIFA World Cup knockout match. That finally changed in Toronto.
The 41-year-old Portugal captain ended that long wait by scoring a second-half penalty against Croatia, adding another major milestone to his career and helping Portugal continue their FIFA World Cup 2026 journey.
