The tournament co-hosts—United States, Canada, and Mexico—have already clinched their spots, alongside football powerhouses like France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and Norway.
Key matchups in the final round of group-stage fixtures include the United States against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Canada vs South Africa, Morocco vs the Netherlands, Japan vs Brazil, and Norway vs Ivory Coast.
In the expanded format featuring 48 teams, the top two teams from each group and eight of the best third-placed teams will move on. Third-place teams with four points are almost guaranteed to qualify, with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sweden, Ecuador, and Paraguay already progressing through this route.
Meanwhile, Scotland remains in the hunt with three points but needs several favorable outcomes to keep its World Cup hopes alive.
Here’s what you can look forward to on Saturday:
Panama vs. England and Croatia vs. Ghana (5 p.m. ET): England and Ghana advance with non-blowout losses and could still secure their places. Croatia can progress with a win or draw, while Panama has been eliminated.
Colombia vs. Portugal and Congo vs. Uzbekistan (7:30 p.m. ET): Portugal can advance with a draw and will finish first in the group if they win. Colombia has already qualified and leads the group with a victory or draw against Portugal. Congo needs to win or draw to go through, while Uzbekistan faces long odds and likely must win decisively.
Algeria vs. Austria and Jordan vs. Argentina (10 p.m. ET): Unless Croatia suffers a heavy loss to Ghana earlier, the winner of Algeria-Austria advances, and the loser still has a chance. A draw would likely see Austria qualify, with Algeria also hopeful. Argentina has won the group, and Jordan has already been eliminated.
Here are the round of 32 matchups that have been confirmed:
The U.S. had their momentum from two straight victories halted by a loss to Turkey. In the knockout stage, they will face Bosnia-Herzegovina, currently ranked 62nd by FIFA—the lowest-ranked World Cup qualifier from Europe. Bosnia finished third in Group B with four points. U.S. star Christian Pulisic made an appearance as a substitute in the second half against Turkey, having not played since departing the opening victory over Paraguay due to a calf injury. “Our approach to every game is like it’s a knockout,” said U.S. midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who netted against Turkey. “You could see that in our intensity and effort. For us, it’s all about maintaining our current approach.”
Both nations have made history, marking the first time they will compete in the knockout stage of the World Cup. Canada progressed as the runner-up in Group B with four points—achieving one win, one draw, and one loss. South Africa also finished as runner-up in Group A with four points, including a noteworthy victory over South Korea.
Japan advanced as the runner-up in Group F after battling to a 1-1 draw with Sweden. Their reward is a knockout match against five-time World Cup champion Brazil. This matchup represents a full-circle moment for Japan, as they brought in Brazilian legend Zico in 1991 to help develop their domestic league and support their successful bid to co-host the World Cup in 2002. Now, the Japanese have an opportunity to demonstrate their progress against a benchmark country.
The Netherlands secured Group F by drawing with Japan and outscoring Sweden and Tunisia with a total of 8-2. Morocco finished unbeaten as the runner-up in Group C, aiming to become the first African nation to win the World Cup. They reached the semifinals four years ago in Qatar.
France came in as the tournament favorite and has maintained that status after winning all three of its group matches, now facing Sweden, which had a 5-1 win, a 5-1 loss, and a draw.
Germany enters the knockout stage following a similarly inconsequential late defeat as the U.S., having already sealed its group with little at stake. Germany is favored against Paraguay, which lost to the U.S. 4-1 in its opener but managed to recover to advance.
This round of 32 matchup could be one of the most evenly matched, with Australia defeating Turkey, losing to the U.S., and drawing with Paraguay. Egypt qualified as the second-place team in Group G after a late Iranian goal on Friday night was ruled offside.
Defending champion Argentina will face the smallest nation to qualify for the knockout stage. Unsurprisingly, Cape Verde enters the match as a significant underdog.
After an opening draw against Morocco, Brazil secured victories in its next two matches, each with a 3-0 scoreline, highlighted by Vinícius Júnior’s goals that quelled critics and Neymar’s return from injury. Japan, meanwhile, has recorded a couple of draws and a 4-0 thrashing of Tunisia thus far.
Norway would have needed to defeat favored France to win Group I, but coach Ståle Solbakken chose to rest Erling Haaland and nearly all of his starters. This decision sets up a confrontation against the Ivory Coast at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.
(With AP inputs)
