BOSTON — The 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 continued on Monday with three of the tournament's traditional powers — Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands — opening their knockout campaigns as the expanded 48-team competition entered its single-elimination phase.
Germany were scheduled to face Paraguay at Boston Stadium, the Netherlands were due to meet Morocco at Estadio Monterrey, and Brazil were set to take on Japan at Houston Stadium, according to FIFA's official match schedule. The winners will advance to the Round of 16, while the losing teams will be eliminated from the tournament.
The Round of 32 began on Sunday with Canada defeating South Africa 1-0 in Los Angeles, becoming the first team to secure a place in the Round of 16 under the tournament's new knockout format. Canada will next face the winner of the Netherlands-Morocco match.
Brazil's match against Japan will determine the team advancing to face either Côte d'Ivoire or Norway in the next round, while the winner of Germany's encounter with Paraguay will meet the victor of Tuesday's match between France and Sweden.
The 2026 World Cup is the first edition featuring 48 teams, expanding the knockout stage from 16 to 32 teams. Sixteen Round of 32 matches are scheduled between June 28 and July 3 across the United States, Canada and Mexico before the tournament progresses to the Round of 16.
As of publication, Monday's three Round of 32 matches had either not kicked off or were still in progress, with official results pending.
