World Cup 2026 Round of 32: Five matches with possible shocks
What happened: Canada edged South Africa 1-0 in the World Cup Round of 32 with a stoppage-time goal by Stephen Eustaquio; Brazil beat Japan, Paraguay knocked out Germany, and Morocco eliminated the Netherlands on Tuesday. Upcoming fixtures include France vs Sweden (Tuesday night, New Jersey), Mexico vs Ecuador (Wednesday morning), England vs DR Congo (Wednesday evening, Atlanta), USA vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (Thursday morning, Santa Clara), Spain vs Austria (Thursday night, Los Angeles), Switzerland vs Algeria (Friday morning, Vancouver), Australia vs Egypt (Friday night, Arlington), Belgium vs Senegal (Wednesday 9 pm, Seattle), Portugal vs Croatia (Friday midnight, Toronto), and Ivory Coast vs Norway (Tuesday 6 pm, Arlington).
Why it matters: Several African teams - Senegal, Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast - are highlighted as having realistic chances to cause upsets and advance to the Round of 16, according to Wakanda FC coach Orode Richard, who predicts four to five African sides will progress.
What you should know: Match times and venues are listed above; if you support African teams, note the Algeria-Switzerland, Egypt-Australia, Ivory Coast-Norway, and Senegal-Belgium clashes. Keep an eye on the knockout stage as upsets could reshape the tournament's outlook.