Round of 16 set: Spain vs. Portugal, Brazil vs. Norway headline knockout stage

The 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America completed its round of 32 on Thursday (local time), setting the 16-team knockout bracket with 48 nations having entered the tournament.

European sides account for the largest share of the round of 16, with seven nations advancing. France — runner-up at the 2022 Qatar World Cup — leads the European contingent, joined by England, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Belgium and Switzerland.

From South America, defending champion Argentina advanced alongside Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay.

All three co-hosts from North and Central America — the United States, Mexico and Canada — survived the group stage. Egypt and Morocco carried the African flag into the round of 16.

Asian Football Confederation nations, however, were shut out entirely. Nine AFC members entered the tournament, including South Korea, and none made it through.

Seven of the nine, including South Korea, were eliminated in the group stage. Japan and Australia reached the round of 32 but fell short: Japan lost 1-2 to Brazil on June 30, while Australia were beaten by Egypt on penalties on Thursday.

The round of 16 opens Sunday at 2 a.m. Korea time with Canada facing Morocco at a stadium in Houston. Later that morning at 6 a.m., France take on Paraguay in Philadelphia.

On Monday, title contender Brazil meet Norway — spearheaded by Erling Haaland — at the New York New Jersey stadium at 5 a.m. Korea time. At 9 a.m., Harry Kane's England face co-host Mexico at a stadium in Mexico City.

The standout match of the round comes Tuesday at 4 a.m. Korea time, when Spain and Portugal clash at a stadium in Dallas. Later that day at 9 a.m., the United States take on Belgium in Seattle with a quarterfinal berth on the line.

Defending champion Argentina, who survived a grueling extra-time battle against Cape Verde — making their first-ever World Cup appearance — face Mohamed Salah's Egypt on Wednesday at 1 a.m. Korea time at a stadium in Atlanta.

Switzerland and Colombia then close out the round of 16 at 5 a.m. the same day in Vancouver, Canada.

With the top seven scorers all advancing to the knockout stage, the Golden Boot race is set to intensify.

Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest of all time, leads the scoring charts with 7 goals heading into the round of 16. Kylian Mbappe of France is second with 6, while Haaland and Kane each have 5. France's Ousmane Dembele, Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal and Brazil's Vinicius Junior have each netted 4.