Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne are among the stars to reach the round of 32 as Australia prepares to face Mo Salah and Egypt
The last 32 rounds of the World Cup have been determined.
The knockout phase begins on Monday (AEST) with Canada taking on South Africa in Southern California.
We take a look at the schedule and matchups for the first qualifying round of the expanded competition.
Monday
South Africa v Canada
SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles), 5 a.m.
These nations have already made history. Both will be advancing to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time. Canada finished second in Group B with four points from one win, one draw and one loss. South Africa finished second in Group A with four points, including a surprising win over South Korea.
Tuesday
Brazil v Japan
NRG Stadium (Houston), 3 a.m.
Japan finished second in Group F after a tough 1-1 draw with Sweden, while Samurai Blue’s reward was a qualifying match against five-time World Cup champion Brazil. This would be a turning point for Japan: the country brought in Brazilian great Zico in 1991 to professionalize the country’s new domestic league and bolster Japan’s successful bid to co-host the 2002 World Cup. Now the Japanese have a chance to show how far they’ve come against a country that sets the standard.
Germany v Paraguay
Gillette Stadium (Foxborough), 06.30
Germany reached the knockout stages with a low-key late defeat and clinched their group with little to play for anyway. Germany are significant favorites against Paraguay, who lost the opening 4-1 to the United States but have been steady enough to move on.
Netherlands v Morocco
Estadio BBVA (Monterrey), 11:00
Group F was won by the Netherlands, who drew with Japan and defeated Sweden and Tunisia 8-2 on aggregate. Morocco finished second in group C undefeated on their way to becoming the first African to win the World Cup. Morocco reached the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago.
Wednesday
Ivory Coast – Norway
AT&T Stadium (Arlington), 3 a.m.
Norway had to beat France to win group I. Instead, coach Ståle Solbakken opted to rest Erling Haaland and everyone except one starter. That means a matchup against Ivory Coast at the Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas.
France v Sweden
MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford), 7 a.m.
France came into the tournament as favourites, and after winning all three of their group matches, they moved into the match against Sweden, who won 5-1, lost 5-1 and drew.
Mexico v Ecuador
Estadio Azteca (Mexico City), 11:00
Mexico won all three of its group stage matches for the first time in the World Cup and advanced to the round of 32 without conceding a single goal. They outscored their opponents 6-0 and now have a distinct home advantage at high altitude against Ecuador, who rally at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca to beat Germany and advance.
Thursday
England v Congo
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), 02:00
It took Jude Bellingham to score and Harry Kane to set up a goal to break the tie with Panama, but England got the job done to finish top of their group. Injuries are now a question mark as they head to face Congo, who are looking to beat Uzbekistan and progress.
Belgium v Senegal
Lumen Field (Seattle), 6 a.m.
Belgium not only advanced, but also finished first, scoring five goals in their group match against New Zealand. There is no easy task next: facing Senegal, which has fought hard against France and Norway and defeated Iraq. The winner of USA-Bosnia-Herzegovina will face the winner of this match.
USA v Bosnia and Herzegovina
Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara), 10:00
The Americans lost the strong momentum they had gained from two consecutive wins against Türkiye. However, in the qualifying round, they will face Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is ranked 62nd in the FIFA rankings. Bosnia finished group B in third place with 4 points.
Friday
Spain v Austria
SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles), 5 a.m.
Spain managed to win their group after a surprising 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in their first match, sending home two-time champions Uruguay in the process. Austria came back from behind in extra time to draw 3-3 with Algeria and then equalize in the final minutes to set up this match.
Portugal v Croatia
BMO Field (Toronto), 09:00
A 0-0 draw with Colombia meant a tougher road ahead for Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, which could include finishing second in the group and meeting neighbors Spain in the quarter-finals. Croatia reached this point by beating Ghana hours ago.
Switzerland v Algeria
BC Place (Vancouver), 13:00
This was supposed to be Canada’s berth in Vancouver, but Switzerland won the head-to-head match between the teams there and finished ahead of the group, giving Switzerland a privileged point. Algeria took a late lead against Austria before allowing an equalizer in the final minutes, drawing 3–3 and both teams eliminating Iran.
Saturday
Australia v Egypt
AT&T Stadium (Arlington), 4 a.m.
This could be one of the most evenly matched rounds of the last 32 matches after Australia beat Türkiye, lost to the USA and drew with Paraguay. Egypt finished second in Group G after Iran’s late goal was canceled due to offside.
Argentina – Cape Verde
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens), 8 a.m.
Reigning champion Argentina faces the smallest country that can advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup. Unsurprisingly, Cape Verde emerges as a major underdog.
Colombia v Ghana
Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City), 11:30 a.m.
Getting past Portugal first in the group allowed Colombia to open the knockout stage against Ghana, who were placed 74th in FIFA’s lowest rankings but also played out a goalless draw with England.
