The round of 32 of the World Football Championship tournament begins.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup football tournament, co-hosted by the trio of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, has now entered an exciting phase with a new format featuring 48 teams. In the preliminary round of this tournament, matches were held in 12 groups, each consisting of four teams. The knockout stage, featuring the top 32 teams that advanced, has now officially begun.

The 24 teams that secured the top two positions in each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, have thus qualified for the Round of 32. This marks the first time in FIFA World Cup history that a 48-team tournament features a separate Round of 32. In previous tournaments, matches proceeded directly to the Round of 16 after the preliminary stage.

This round, featuring a total of 16 matches, will be held across 14 stadiums in the three host countries from June 28 to July 3. Teams winning these knockout matches will qualify for the Round of 16, while defeated teams will be eliminated from the tournament. If a match ends in a draw within the stipulated 90 minutes of play, extra time and penalty shootouts will be used to determine the winner. The match schedule has been arranged to ensure balance in the tournament, with group-topping teams facing second and third-placed teams.

The first match of this crucial round is scheduled for Sunday, June 28, between South Africa, the runners-up of Group 'A', and Canada, the runners-up of Group 'B', at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Subsequently, several strong matches will take place on Monday, June 29, including the game between Brazil, who topped Group 'C', and Japan, who secured second place in Group 'F', at NRG Stadium in Houston. On the same day, Germany, the first-placed team in Group 'E', will face Paraguay, who advanced as a third-placed team, at Gillette Stadium in Boston, while the Netherlands, champions of Group 'F', and Morocco, runners-up of Group 'C', will clash at Estadio BBVA in Mexico.

On Tuesday, June 30, Côte d'Ivoire will compete against Norway at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, while the battle between France and Sweden is set to take place at MetLife Stadium in New York. Additionally, this round, extending until July 3, will feature many other exciting matches, such as England vs. Panama, Portugal vs. Colombia, Uzbekistan vs. Democratic Republic of Congo, Argentina vs. Jordan, and Austria vs. Algeria. The final revisions for matches involving other strong teams like Mexico, the United States, Belgium, and Spain will be determined based on the standings of the third-placed teams from the preliminary round.

Although many expect football giants like Brazil, Germany, France, Argentina, England, Spain, Mexico, and the United States to win this round and advance, the strong challenges and surprises that could come from teams like South Africa, Morocco, Japan, Paraguay, and Canada have further heightened the unpredictable nature of the tournament. The match between Brazil's aggressive playing style and Japan's systematic tactical defense, as well as the home crowd support for host countries like Canada, Mexico, and the USA, are notable aspects this time. Live scores, team compositions, and the latest information for the tournament will be published on the official FIFA (FIFA.com) website, and the teams that win this Round of 32 will qualify for the Round of 16 matches, which will take place from July 4 to July 7.