2026 FIFA World Cup: Results and Recaps of the Round of 16 Matches
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which began on June 11, is currently in the intense playoff stage.
Hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the tournament is the largest in history: 48 national teams are competing for the championship trophy, and the total duration of the competition is a record 39 days.
During the Round of 16, spectators have already witnessed fierce matchups, with advancement to the next round decided both in regulation time and in penalty shootouts.
In particular, Canada secured a narrow 1–0 victory over South Africa, while Brazil defeated Japan 2–1 in a hard-fought match.
The matches decided by penalty shootouts were particularly dramatic. For example, Paraguay snatched a victory over Germany after a 1–1 draw in regulation time, winning the penalty shootout 4–3.
A similar situation occurred in the match between the Netherlands and Morocco: regulation time ended in a 1–1 draw, but the Moroccan players were more accurate in the penalty shootout, winning 3–2.
In the other Round of 16 matches, the favorites lived up to their status, putting on confident performances.
The Norwegian national team defeated Ivory Coast 2–1, the French team routed Sweden 3–0, and the tournament hosts, Mexico, confidently beat Ecuador 2–0.
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