Overview
- The group stage finished and FIFA released the complete round‑of‑16 bracket with dates, kickoff times and venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
- Canada became the first team to reach the octavos after Stephen Eustáquio scored a stoppage‑time winner to beat South Africa 1‑0 at SoFi Stadium.
- Argentina is scheduled to face surprise qualifier Cabo Verde in the next round, a pairing that highlights the tournament’s unexpected matchups.
- This edition’s expanded 48‑team format advances the eight best third‑place teams into an extra knockout round called dieciseisavos and creates more variable paths through the bracket.
- Knockout ties use 30 minutes of extra time and penalties if needed and allow a sixth substitution in extra time; the bracket now traces each team’s route to the July 19 final while attention turns to hosts’ form and scoring races led by Messi and Mbappé.