Overview
- FIFA’s expanded format added a new 16avos de final — a 32-team knockout round that will be played June 28–July 3 and features the top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams.
- Spain vs. Uruguay in Guadalajara and Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia in Houston, played simultaneously on Friday, will decide the Group H second place that faces Argentina on July 3 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
- France and Norway, already through from Group I, meet in Boston on Friday to settle group order in a match billed for top scorers Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
- Four 16avos matchups have already been confirmed from earlier groups, including South Africa vs. Canada, Brazil vs. Japan, Netherlands vs. Morocco, and United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Broadcasters and venues for the remaining fixtures are set across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and the expanded format gives smaller nations such as Cabo Verde a genuine path to the knockout rounds with clear scheduling and tiebreak rules in place.