The knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been officially set following the conclusion of all group-stage matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
After 72 matches and weeks of drama, the tournament now enters the Round of 32, where the top two teams from each of the 12 groups, alongside the eight best third-placed teams, will battle for a place in the last 16.
Among the nations advancing are Ghana, who secured qualification as one of the best third-placed teams after finishing behind England and Croatia in Group L.
The Black Stars have been handed a daunting assignment against Group K winners Colombia, who completed the group stage unbeaten. The highly anticipated encounter will take place at Kansas City Stadium in Missouri on Friday, July 3, with kick-off scheduled for 1:30 am Ghana time.
A victory would see Ghana advance to the Round of 16 and move one step closer to matching their historic quarter-final run at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
England, winners of Group L, will take on DR Congo, one of the surprise packages of the tournament, while Croatia face Portugal in another blockbuster European showdown.
Defending champions Argentina begin their title defence against Cape Verde, whose remarkable journey has captured global attention. The island nation became the smallest country by land area ever to reach the World Cup knockout stage.
Several other heavyweight clashes are also on the schedule. Five-time champions Brazil will face Japan, France take on Sweden, Germany meet Paraguay, while Morocco’s impressive campaign continues with a challenging tie against the Netherlands. Spain and Austria will also square off in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the round.
Round of 32 Fixtures
Sunday, June 28
* South Africa vs Canada – Los Angeles Stadium, USA
Monday, June 29
* Brazil vs Japan – Houston Stadium, USA
* Germany vs Paraguay – Boston Stadium, USA
* Netherlands vs Morocco – Monterrey Stadium, Mexico
Tuesday, June 30
* Ivory Coast vs Norway – Dallas Stadium, USA
* France vs Sweden – New York/New Jersey Stadium, USA
* Mexico vs Ecuador – Mexico City Stadium, Mexico
Wednesday, July 1
* England vs DR Congo – Atlanta Stadium, USA
* Belgium vs Senegal – Seattle Stadium, USA
* USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, USA
Thursday, July 2
* Spain vs Austria – Los Angeles Stadium, USA
* Portugal vs Croatia – Toronto Stadium, Canada
* Switzerland vs Algeria – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Friday, July 3
* Australia vs Egypt – Dallas Stadium, USA
* Argentina vs Cape Verde – Miami Stadium, USA
* Colombia vs Ghana – Kansas City Stadium, USA
With the group stage now complete, attention shifts to the knockout rounds, where every match becomes a winner-takes-all battle.