The round of 32, the first round of the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, took place from June 28 to July 3, 2026. It was the first time that a FIFA World Cup featured a single-elimination round with more than sixteen teams remaining in the tournament.
Sixteen matches were played across fourteen host cities, with the sixteen winning teams advancing to the round of 16.
Matches
South Africa vs Canada The teams' only previous meeting took place in a 2007 friendly, which ended in a 2–0 win for South Africa.
After facing co-hosts Mexico in their opening group stage match, South Africa became the first team in tournament history to face two different host nations in a single edition since Turkey in 2002. It also marked the first time a host nation played a World Cup match outside its own borders, after a 2–1 loss to Switzerland in its final group stage match cost Canada a guaranteed home-field advantage.
Following a goalless 90 minutes, two minutes into stoppage time, Canada vice-captain Stephen Eustáquio gained possession after the ball was headed towards him, before striking right-footed from the edge of the penalty area low into the bottom left corner of the net for the only goal of the match.
With this win, Canada advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in their three appearances at the World Cup.
GK 1 Ronwen Williams (c)RB 20Khuliso MudauCB 21Ime OkonCB 14Mbekezeli MbokaziLB 6 Aubrey ModibaCM 13Sphephelo SitholeCM 4 Teboho MokoenaRW 12Thapelo Maseko AM 10Relebohile Mofokeng LW 7 Oswin AppollisCF 17Evidence Makgopa Substitutions:MF 5 Thalente Mbatha FW 15Iqraam Rayners FW 8 Tshepang Moremi Manager: Hugo Broos GK 16Maxime CrépeauRB 2 Alistair JohnstonCB 15Moïse Bombito CB 13Derek CorneliusLB 22Richie LaryeaRM 17Tajon Buchanan CM 25Nathan Saliba CM 7 Stephen Eustáquio (c)LM 11Liam Millar CF 10Jonathan DavidCF 12Tani Oluwaseyi Substitutions:DF 23Niko Sigur DF 4 Luc de Fougerolles FW 24Promise David MF 14Jacob Shaffelburg DF 19Alphonso Davies Manager: Jesse Marsch
Man of the Match: Stephen Eustáquio (Canada)
Assistant referees: Bruno Jesus (Portugal) Luciano Maia (Portugal) Fourth official: Omar Al Ali (United Arab Emirates) Reserve assistant referee: Mohamed Al-Hammadi (United Arab Emirates) Video assistant referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain) Assistant video assistant referee: Rodolpho Toski (Brazil) Support video assistant referee: Hernán Mastrángelo (Argentina)
Brazil vs Japan The teams had previously met 14 times, including once in the World Cup: a 4–1 group stage win for Brazil at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their latest encounter took place at the 2025 Kirin Challenge Cup last October, when Japan gained their first win ever against Brazil in a 3–2 comeback.
After 29 minutes, Japan midfielder Kaishu Sano made a solo run from the halfway line, before shooting low from outside the penalty area into the bottom left corner of the net to put Japan into the lead. Japan nearly conceded seven minutes into the second half, with goalkeeper Zion Suzuki just managing to keep it off the line.
Casemiro equalized for Brazil at 56 minutes, with a close-range header at the back post after a cross from Gabriel Magalhães from the left. With just a minute of added time remaining, Bruno Guimarães passed low into Gabriel Martinelli on the left of the penalty area who shot low right footed to the bottom right corner of the net in off the post to win the game for Brazil on a 2–1 scoreline.
The victory advanced Brazil to the Round of 16. Japan were eliminated, marking the third consecutive World Cup that they have lost after leading in the knockout rounds, as well as the first time Japan failed to advance to the Round of 16 since 2014.
GK 1 AlissonRB 13Danilo Luiz CB 4 Marquinhos (c)CB 3 Gabriel MagalhãesLB 16Douglas SantosDM 5 Casemiro CM 8 Bruno Guimarães CM 20Lucas Paquetá RF 26RayanCF 9 Matheus Cunha LF 7 Vinícius JúniorSubstitutions:FW 19Endrick FW 22Gabriel Martinelli MF 17Fabinho MF 18Danilo Santos Manager: Carlo Ancelotti GK 1 Zion SuzukiCB 22Takehiro TomiyasuCB 3 Shōgo TaniguchiCB 21Hiroki ItōRM 10Ritsu Dōan (c) CM 24Kaishū Sano CM 15Daichi Kamada LM 13Keito Nakamura RF 14Junya Itō CF 18Ayase UedaLF 11Daizen Maeda Substitutions:DF 25Junnosuke Suzuki DF 2 Yukinari Sugawara MF 7 Ao Tanaka FW 6 Shūto Machino FW 19Kōki Ogawa Manager:Hajime Moriyasu
Man of the Match: Casemiro (Brazil)
Assistant referees: Daniele Bindoni (Italy) Alberto Tegoni (Italy) Fourth official: Sandro Schärer (Switzerland) Reserve assistant referee: Stéphane De Almeida (Switzerland) Video assistant referee: Marco Di Bello (Italy) Assistant video assistant referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia) Support video assistant referee: Joe Dickerson (United States)
Germany vs Paraguay The teams had previously met twice, with their first encounter being Germany's 1–0 round of 16 win at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This was followed by a 3–3 draw in a friendly match in 2013.
After 42 minutes, Paraguay won a corner on the right. Although goalkeeper Manuel Neuer managed to punch the ball out of the box from the corner, Germany failed to maintain possession. A series of passes sent the ball into the path of Paraguay midfielder Julio Enciso from the right, who headed the ball to the left past Neuer. This opened up the scoring, and was Paraguay's first ever goal in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup.
In the 54th minute, German midfielder Florian Wirtz sent a cross into the penalty area from the left which found the head of his teammate Kai Havertz, who glanced it into the right corner of the net for the equalizer.
In the 102nd minute, a corner kick from the right saw defender Jonathan Tah head the ball at the back post into the Paraguayan net. However, the goal was disallowed as VAR review found that goalkeeper Orlando Gill had been fouled in his box, and was unable to challenge for the ball fairly.
In the ensuing penalty shootout, Kai Havertz failed to convert the first penalty for Germany, and the teams were tied at the end of five shots, with the shoot-out going into sudden death. Tah sent the ball high over the bar, allowing centre-back José Canale the chance to send the ball into the top right of the net and ending the shootout 4–3 in Paraguay's favor.
With this victory, Paraguay advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 2010, eliminating Germany. This marks the third consecutive World Cup where Germany failed to reach the round of 16, first time they were ever defeated in a penalty shootout at the World Cup, and the first time they were defeated in a penalty shootout in a senior men's tournament since the UEFA Euro 1976 final against Czechoslovakia at the hands of Antonín Panenka's famous spot kick.
The president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, declared a national holiday for the next day to celebrate the historic win.
GK 1 Manuel NeuerRB 6 Joshua Kimmich (c)CB 4 Jonathan TahCB 2 Antonio Rüdiger LB 18Nathaniel BrownCM 23Felix Nmecha CM 5 Aleksandar Pavlović RW 19Leroy Sané AM 7 Kai Havertz LW 17Florian Wirtz CF 26Deniz Undav Substitutions:MF 8 Leon Goretzka MF 10Jamal Musiala DF 3 Waldemar Anton FW 11Nick Woltemade MF 20Nadiem Amiri DF 24Malick Thiaw Other disciplinary actions: — Mads Buttgereit Manager:Julian Nagelsmann GK 12Orlando GillRB 4 Juan José Cáceres CB 15Gustavo Gómez (c)CB 13José CanaleLB 6 Júnior Alonso RM 10Miguel Almirón CM 16Damián Bobadilla CM 14Andrés Cubas LM 23Matías Galarza CF 21Gabriel Ávalos CF 19Julio Enciso Substitutions:MF 24Gustavo Caballero MF 11Maurício DF 2 Gustavo Velázquez FW 9 Antonio Sanabria MF 20Braian Ojeda DF 5 Fabián Balbuena Other disciplinary actions: — Alejandro Juan Manager: Gustavo Alfaro
Man of the Match: Orlando Gill (Paraguay)
Assistant referees: Zakaria Brinsi (Morocco) Mostafa Akarkad (Morocco) Fourth official: Ma Ning (China) Reserve assistant referee: Zhou Fei (China) Video assistant referee: Tatiana Guzmán (Nicaragua) Assistant video assistant referee: Hamza El-Fariq (Morocco) Support video assistant referee: Abdullah Al-Shehri (Saudi Arabia)
Netherlands vs Morocco The teams had previously faced each other three times, with the Netherlands winning twice: a 2–1 group stage victory at the 1994 FIFA World Cup (their first meeting) and most recently in a 2017 friendly (also by a 2–1 margin).
Following a goalless first half, including two back-to-back saves from Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, the Netherlands went in front after 72 minutes. A header from Wout Weghorst sent the ball into the path of his teammate Crysencio Summerville, who began a run into the Moroccan half. Though he was brought down, the Moroccan defence failed to clear the ball and it broke into the path of Cody Gakpo who smashed the ball low into the net from twelve yards out to put the Netherlands into the lead. Gakpo then broke into tears, overwhelmed with emotion after his partner's recent miscarriage.
As the game went into stoppage time, a long ball from Chemsdine Talbi outside the box on the left found the head of centre-back Issa Diop, who headed powerfully to the right of the net from six yards out for the equalizer. After a goalless extra-time, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Teun Koopmeiners took the first penalty of the shoot-out and scored. Ismael Saibari scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out with a low shot to the left to secure victory for Morocco. The Dutch had missed three penalty kicks, including their last two kicks, with Morocco also missing two penalties.
Morocco advanced to the round of 16, while this defeat marks the Netherlands' third consecutive World Cup elimination via penalty shootout, following similar exits against Argentina in 2014 and 2022 (as they failed to qualify in 2018).
GK 1 Bart VerbruggenCB 6 Jan Paul van HeckeCB 4 Virgil van Dijk (c)CB 5 Nathan Aké RM 22Denzel DumfriesCM 8 Ryan Gravenberch CM 21Frenkie de Jong LM 15Micky van de Ven RF 24Crysencio SummervilleCF 19Brian Brobbey LF 11Cody Gakpo Substitutions:MF 20Teun Koopmeiners FW 9 Wout Weghorst MF 26Quinten Timber DF 25Jorrel Hato MF 3 Marten de Roon MF 7 Justin Kluivert Manager:Ronald Koeman GK 1 Yassine BounouRB 2 Achraf Hakimi (c)CB 14Issa Diop CB 18Chadi Riad LB 3 Noussair MazraouiCM 6 Ayyoub Bouaddi CM 24Neil El AynaouiRW 10Brahim Díaz AM 8 Azzedine Ounahi LW 23Bilal El Khannouss CF 11Ismael SaibariSubstitutions:DF 26Anass Salah-Eddine MF 15Samir El Mourabet MF 16Gessime Yassine FW 9 Soufiane Rahimi MF 7 Chemsdine Talbi Manager:Mohamed Ouahbi
Man of the Match: Issa Diop (Morocco)
Assistant referees: Bruno Pires (Brazil) Bruno Boschilia (Brazil) Fourth official: Cristián Garay (Chile) Reserve assistant referee: José Retamal (Chile) Video assistant referee: Nicolás Gallo (Colombia) Assistant video assistant referee: Leodán González (Uruguay) Support video assistant referee: Armando Villarreal (United States)
Ivory Coast vs Norway The two teams had never met before.
In the 39th minute, Antonio Nusa opened up the scoring when he collected the ball on the left side of the penalty area before cutting in and finished with a curling right-footed strike into the far top corner of the net to put Norway in front.
Ivory Coast trailed until the 74th minute. Winger Amad Diallo picked up the ball in the Norwegian half and began a run from the right side of the penalty area, cutting in from the right and getting past two defenders before slotting it into the left of the net from six yards out for the equalizer. In the 86th minute Patrick Berg got in on the right side of the penalty area and crossed low for Erling Haaland to side foot the ball home from six yards for the winning goal. This marked Haaland's fifth goal in three games, putting him in contention for the tournament's Golden Boot at just one goal behind Lionel Messi.
With their first victory in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages, Norway advanced to the round of 16 while Ivory Coast were eliminated, marking their best-ever finish in the FIFA World Cup since 2014.