World Cup Passport: Round of 32 matches to watch
- Brian Maurer
- Jun 28
- 3 min read
By Brian Maurer
The World Cup Group Stage is in the books, and it ended with an incredible finish, as Austria vs Algeria might have been the most exciting game of the tournament so far.
Now we are on to the knockout stages, and seven teams will be joining the round for the first time in their country's history.
I will start by looking at those games because it is worth highlighting those teams and games that are creating Cinderella stories for their nations. There are some heavy-hitter matchups as well, so those, of course, will also be added to the must-watch list.
Knockout Round Debutants
South Africa vs Canada - Today at 3 PM ET
South Africa shocked the world with their surprising finish to the group stage after a disappointing opening night against Mexico. They get a chance to take on fellow knockout round debutant Canada. One of these two teams will make history today.
Ivory Coast vs Norway - Tuesday, June 30 at 1:00 PM ET
Ivory Coast made history for their nation, but this also feels like a bit of a heavy-hitting matchup as both the Elephants and Norway have strong squads and have performed really well throughout the Group Stage. This matchup combines historical achievement and the talent capable of helping their teams make a deep run and accomplish even more history.
England vs DR Congo - Wednesday, July 1 at 12 PM ET
DR Congo put on an electric second-half performance last night against Uzbekistan to advance to their first-ever knockout round. They will face England in the same stadium where they just earned their first World Cup win.
USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina - Wednesday, July 1 at 8:00 PM ET
Bosnia finished the group strong, and after earning a Round 1 point against Canada, they put themselves through to the knockouts, where they will face host nation USA in a historic game for their country.
Australia vs Egypt - Friday, July 3 at 2:00 PM ET
Egypt made history by earning their first-ever World Cup win against New Zealand, and have now advanced to their first-ever knockout round after going unbeaten in the Group Stage, as they get set to take on Australia.
Argentina vs Cabo Verde - Friday, July 3 at 6:00 PM ET
Cabo Verde has become THE Cinderella Story of this tournament as they have maintained an unbeaten record throughout the tournament, and after Uruguay failed to earn a point against Spain, they are through to the knockouts to face the defending champions, Argentina.
Heavy-hitter Games to Watch
Brazil vs Japan - Monday, June 29 at 1:00 PM ET
Japan took Croatia to PKs in the Round of 16 in 2022, and they have looked really strong in the Group Stage. Another team who have looked great so far is fellow unbeaten Brazil. The Brazilians are favorites in this one, but the Japanese are a tough out and have been more than capable of playing against the top teams in recent cycles.
Netherlands vs Morocco - Monday, June 29 at 9:00 PM ET
This matchup features two teams that likely considered contenders to make very deep runs. Now one of those runs will be cut short as these two top 10 teams get set to face off on Monday in what is likely one of the biggest matchups in the Round of 32.
Belgium vs Senegal - Wednesday, July 1 at 4:00 PM ET
Another UEFA vs CAF matchup as the two federations get set to have five matchups against each other in the Round of 32. Belgium is the favorite in this one but Senegal has been battle-tested after getting through a group that included France and Norway.
Portugal vs Croatia - Thursday, July 2 at 7:00 PM ET
This matchup is another one with two squads who view themselves as contenders capable of making a deep run. They both have soccer legends in Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, who are 40+ and still showing they can lead a top team. One legend will be going home early after this game.
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