The Round of 32 matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026 are slowly but surely drawing to a close!
The first Round of 16 matchups are already set, but several top nations still need to qualify. England and Belgium are vying for one of the coveted spots.
An overview of the schedule for July 1:
Schedule, July 1 (CEST):
03:00 AM: Mexico - Ecuador (LIVE Ticker >>>)
The co-host had a perfect group stage. The Mexicans won all three matches against South Africa, South Korea, and Czech Republic.
Ecuador, on the other hand, surprisingly struggled in the group stage. The South Americans, who had impressed in qualification, only secured their ticket to the knockout phase in the last game with a surprising victory against Germany.
A balanced match is expected. Mexico relies on their home advantage, Ecuador on their stable defense.
06:00 PM: England - DR Congo (LIVE Ticker >>>)
The "Three Lions" enter the match against the surprise team from Africa as clear favorites.
Thomas Tuchel's squad remained undefeated in the group stage, securing two clear victories and a goalless draw against Ghana.
DR Congo, however, fought their way into the Round of 32 in a tough group. They suffered a narrow defeat against Colombia, secured a draw against Portugal, and concluded by defeating Uzbekistan.
10:00 PM: Belgium - Senegal (LIVE Ticker >>>)
The "Red Devils" struggled in the group stage. They only reached the Round of 32 in their final group match with a dominant 5-1 victory over New Zealand.
Before that, they only managed draws against Iran and Egypt. Nevertheless, the perennial "dark horse" still possesses a lot of attacking quality.
Senegal also qualified for the Round of 32 with a dominant 5-0 victory against Iraq. Earlier, they suffered defeats against France and Norway.
Schedule, July 2 (CEST):
02:00 AM: USA - Bosnia and Herzegovina (LIVE Ticker >>>)
Two victories, one defeat against already eliminated Turkey in the meaningless final group match - that's the record so far for co-host USA.
The USA wants to reach the Round of 16 and improve their record in knockout matches. In their last eight knockout games at World Cups, the United States suffered seven defeats.
The USA has problems against European opponents. Their last ten matches against European teams all ended in defeat.
As group third-place finishers behind Switzerland and Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina are the underdogs in this clash. So far, the team has conceded six goals, and in all six matches of Bosnia's World Cup history, they have never kept a clean sheet.
09:00 PM: Spain - Austria (LIVE Ticker >>>)
Spain is the clear favorite in this encounter. Reigning European champions, World Cup co-favorites - and for the first time at a World Cup, they've gone through the group stage without conceding a goal. Spain has not lost in 13 consecutive matches.
After an incomparably thrilling finish in the match against Algeria, the Austrian squad actually has nothing left to lose - and perhaps some momentum.
For the ÖFB, this is their first participation in a World Cup knockout round since 1954.
The record favors Spain: In the last five matches, the Southern Europeans won four times and secured one draw. But: The only previous World Cup encounter went to Austria! 1978, 2-1.
WC 2026: These are the Round of 32 matchups >>>
