The FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage is done. Forty-eight teams came to North America, seventy-two matches were played across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and the results produced exactly the kind of drama, upsets and surprises that an expanded forty-eight team FIFA World Cup tournament promised.
Now thirty-two teams remain, the dead rubbers are gone, and every single match from here carries the permanent consequence of elimination. There is no recovery from a bad day. There is no momentum from a good one that survives beyond the next ninety minutes. This is the real World Cup, and it starts Sunday.
Before getting into the individual FIFA World Cup 2025 match previews, the confederation breakdown tells its own story. CAF, African football, qualified nine of their ten teams, a ninety percent qualification rate that is the best of any confederation and a remarkable statement about how much African football has developed.
UEFA qualified thirteen of sixteen European sides. CONMEBOL sent five of six South American teams through. CONCACAF had three of six qualify, OFC had none, and AFC, Asian football, managed just two from nine, the lowest conversion rate in the tournament. The bracket that emerges from these numbers features an extraordinary amount of African representation and raises serious questions about whether Asia’s football development is keeping pace with the rest of the world.
FIFA World Cup 2026, Sunday June 28: South Africa vs Canada
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, California
Local time: 12:00 PM | GMT: 19:00 | IST: 00:30 Monday
The opening FIFA World Cup 2026 match of the Round of 32 brings together two of the most feelgood stories of the group stage. South Africa are here after one of the most dramatic nights of the tournament, their 1-0 win over South Korea, with Thapelo Maseko scoring in the 63rd minute after coming on as a substitute seconds earlier, sent Bafana Bafana into the knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
The tears from Abdukodir Khusanov and the scenes in the South Africa camp after that result were among the most emotional moments of the group stage. Hugo Broos has built a disciplined, well-organised side that sits deep, defends with intensity and punishes on the counter-attack. Maseko on the right wing has been the standout performer of their campaign.
Canada come into this having already been confirmed as group winners before their final group game, a remarkable achievement for a nation hosting their first World Cup as a co-host. The Canadian squad is genuinely talented, Alphonso Davies at left wing-back gives them an attacking outlet that very few full backs in world football can match for pace and directness.
Jonathan David leads the line with the kind of clinical finishing that has made him one of the most feared strikers in European club football over the past two seasons. Jesse Marsch’s side have played with confidence and intensity throughout the group stage and will be heavy favourites to progress here.
The tactical question is whether South Africa’s low-block counter-attacking system, which worked beautifully against South Korea and has been their template throughout the tournament, can absorb the pressure that Canada are capable of generating through Davies and David. Canada are a team that plays high, presses aggressively and attacks with pace from multiple positions. South Africa will need to be extremely disciplined to keep them at bay.
Prediction: Canada 2-0 South Africa
FIFA World Cup 2026, Monday June 29: Brazil vs Japan
Venue: Houston Stadium, Texas
Local time: 12:00 PM | GMT: 17:00 | IST: 22:30
The most culturally fascinating FIFA World Cup 2026 match of the entire Round of 32. Brazil and Japan share a unique bond, the largest population of Japanese people outside Japan lives in Brazil, a legacy of early twentieth century immigration that has created genuine warmth between the two nations. On the pitch, they represent two completely different footballing philosophies meeting in a high-stakes elimination game.
Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti have been building momentum throughout the group stage despite early doubts about this generation’s ability to recapture the samba flair that made them the most entertaining team in world football for decades.
The loss of Raphinha to injury ahead of the final group game was a blow, but the potential inclusion of Neymar, returning from his long injury absence and confirmed to be back in full training, adds a dimension of unpredictability that Japan will find extremely difficult to plan for. Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha have been dangerous throughout. This is a team with extraordinary individual talent that is beginning to find its collective rhythm at exactly the right time.
Japan’s story over the past twenty-five years is one of the most remarkable development stories in football history. A nation that was barely competitive internationally has transformed itself through systematic investment in youth coaching, technical development and the insistence on players learning to solve all problems through passing and movement rather than aerial duels they were never going to win. The results speak for themselves, Japan have produced major tournament upsets consistently since 2010, and Hajime Moriyasu’s squad will arrive at this game without the slightest fear of Brazil’s reputation.
Japan’s tactical approach will be compact and disciplined when out of possession, with rapid transition play the moment the ball is won. Their ability to press in coordinated waves and win the ball back high up the pitch has given even superior teams serious problems, and Brazil will need to be significantly more focused than they were in some passages of their group stage games to avoid giving Japan the turnovers they thrive on.
Prediction: Brazil 2-1 Japan
FIFA World Cup 2026, Monday June 29: Germany vs Paraguay
Venue: Boston Stadium, Massachusetts
Local time: 4:30 PM | GMT: 20:30 | IST: 02:00 Tuesday
Germany topped their group with considerable authority and Julian Nagelsmann has a squad that looks more coherent and more determined than recent German World Cup generations. The defeat of Ecuador by other sides in the group has set up what should be a manageable Round of 32 fixture on paper, though Paraguay proved in the group stage that they are capable of competing with better sides and will not come to Boston simply to make up the numbers.
Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkey, admittedly against opposition that was already eliminated and struggling throughout the tournament, showed they can take their chances when they come, and their defensive organisation has been solid throughout. The question is whether that organisation can absorb Germany’s pressing and transitional pace for ninety minutes, and whether they can generate enough attacking threat on the counterattack to cause Nagelsmann’s defence genuine problems.
Germany’s key players, Florian Wirtz in the attacking midfield role, Jamal Musiala providing creativity from the left, have shown glimpses of the form that makes them so dangerous at their best. This should be a win for Germany but Paraguay have enough about them to make it competitive.
Prediction: Germany 2-0 Paraguay.
FIFA World Cup 2026, Monday June 29: Netherlands vs Morocco
Venue: Monterrey Stadium, Mexico
Local time: 7:00 PM | GMT: 01:00 Tuesday | IST: 06:30 Tuesday
The match of the Round of 32. Both Jurgen Klinsmann and Herk have identified this as the most intriguing fixture of the knockout stage, and it is easy to see why. Two genuinely high-quality sides, two passionate and enormous fan bases, and a collision between a traditional European power and the team that turned the world upside down in Qatar four years ago.
Morocco have been one of the most consistently impressive sides in world football since Qatar 2022. They reached the semi-finals four years ago, eliminating Spain, Portugal and Belgium along the way, results that announced them as a genuine force rather than a one-tournament story.
Under Walid Regragui they have maintained their defensive solidity while adding more attacking threat, and the emotional intensity they play with is something that genuinely unsettles opponents regardless of quality. They know how to play on the edge of the rules in a way that disrupts the rhythm of technically superior teams, and they do it with an organisation and discipline that makes them extremely difficult to break down.
The Netherlands bring a squad full of genuine stars. a team with quality in every position and the tactical flexibility that Ronald Koeman has given them throughout the qualification and tournament campaign. But the Dutch have historically struggled against compact, aggressive African sides that deny them the space their technical players need, and Morocco specifically will arrive with detailed plans for every Dutch attacking threat.
The emotional dimension adds another layer. Many of Morocco’s squad members have Dutch heritage, were developed in the Dutch system, and played in the Eredivisie. This is a deeply personal match for a large number of players on both sides. The atmosphere in Monterrey will be extraordinary. The football will be fierce. Red cards are a genuine possibility.
Prediction: Morocco 1-1 Netherlands (Morocco win on penalties)
FIFA World Cup 2026, Tuesday June 30: Ivory Coast vs Norway
Venue: Dallas Stadium, Texas
Local time: 12:00 PM | GMT: 17:00 | IST: 22:30
Norway came through the most entertaining group stage match of the tournament, France’s Ousmane Dembele scoring a first-half hat-trick in a 3-whatever scoreline that made everyone sit up and take notice. Erling Haaland has been extraordinary throughout the group stage, four goals and the highest xG of any player in the tournament, and Martin Odegaard feeding him from midfield gives Norway a counter-attacking combination that has caused every team they have faced serious problems.
Ivory Coast qualified from Group E and bring pace, physicality and the kind of technical quality that has made them one of the most watchable teams in the tournament. They will not be intimidated by Norway’s reputation and have the players to hurt them on the counter-attack. But Haaland is the kind of player who changes the tactical calculation for any opponent, teams have to dedicate significant defensive resources to containing him, which opens space elsewhere for Odegaard and the supporting cast.
Prediction: Norway 2-1 Ivory Coast
FIFA World Cup 2026, Tuesday June 30: France vs Sweden
Venue: New York/New Jersey Stadium
Local time: 5:00 PM | GMT: 21:00 | IST: 02:30 Wednesday
France’s group stage campaign was one of the most impressive of the tournament. Dembele’s first-half hat-trick against Norway was the headline moment, but across all three games the French have shown exactly why they are one of the pre-tournament favourites. Mbappe on sixteen World Cup goals in sixteen games. Dembele and Olise providing width and creativity. Tchouameni and Rabiot providing the defensive foundation that allows the attackers to play with freedom. This is a formidable team operating very close to their ceiling.
Sweden come through as one of the best third-placed teams and will count this as a successful tournament even if it ends here. They will defend with enormous discipline, make France work for every inch of space, and wait for one moment, from an Alexander Isak run, from a set piece, from a moment of individual quality, to steal something. It is hard to see how they hold France for ninety minutes given the attacking quality on display.
Prediction: France 3-0 Sweden
FIFA World Cup 2026, Tuesday June 30: Mexico vs Ecuador
Venue: Mexico City Stadium
Local time: 7:00 PM | GMT: 01:00 Wednesday | IST: 06:30 Wednesday
The home crowd fixture of the Round of 32. Mexico playing at the Estadio Azteca equivalent in Mexico City will produce one of the greatest atmospheres of the entire tournament, eighty-plus thousand Mexicans roaring their team on in a knockout game is one of football’s most electric environments. The question is whether the players respond to it or feel the weight of it.
Ecuador are not here to be intimidated by the occasion. They beat Germany in the group stage, a result that has not fully been absorbed in terms of what it says about this Ecuadorian team’s quality, and Moisés Caicedo running the midfield gave some of the biggest names in world football serious problems. They have pace, organisation and the belief that comes from having already beaten a supposed giant at this tournament.
Mexico’s tournament has been solid rather than spectacular, six points from the group, top spot secured, but without the kind of explosive performances that would make opponents genuinely fear them. The home crowd advantage is real and significant, but Ecuador’s organisation and Caicedo’s midfield control could keep this much tighter than the atmosphere suggests.
Prediction: Mexico 1-1 Ecuador (Mexico win on penalties)
FIFA World Cup 2026, Wednesday July 1: England vs DR Congo
Venue: Atlanta Stadium, Georgia
Local time: 12:00 PM | GMT: 16:00 | IST: 21:30
England qualified from Group L in first place after a tournament that has been characterised by one excellent performance, the 4-2 win over Croatia, one frustrating draw, the 0-0 against Ghana that raised all the old questions, and a final group game against Panama that should have provided clarity and momentum heading into the knockouts.
DR Congo are one of the genuine fairytale stories of this World Cup. They qualified from Group K despite being considered the weakest side in their group, held Portugal to a 1-1 draw in the opener and went on to secure a historic first-ever World Cup victory. The emotion in the DR Congo camp heading into this match will be extraordinary, they are playing in their first knockout game in the nation’s history and will do so with the freedom and belief of a team that has already exceeded every expectation.
England are heavy favourites and rightly so. The quality gap between the two squads is significant, and if Tuchel gets his lineup right, Rashford and Saka providing directness on the flanks, Kane staying high and getting into the box, Mainoo adding creativity in midfield, England should have too much firepower for a DR Congo side that will defend deep and look for occasional moments on the counter. But England against a deep defensive block has been a persistent problem at this tournament, and DR Congo will study the Ghana blueprint carefully.
The Bellingham factor is crucial here. Against Croatia he was the difference, producing a performance of individual genius that carried England when the system was not quite working. Against a more organised defensive setup like DR Congo will provide, England need the system to work rather than relying on one player to solve every problem through individual brilliance.
Prediction: England 2-0 DR Congo
FIFA World Cup 2026, Wednesday July 1: Belgium vs Senegal
Venue: Seattle Stadium, Washington
Local time: 1:00 PM | GMT: 20:00 | IST: 01:30 Thursday
Belgium have quietly put together an impressive group stage campaign and arrive in Seattle as credible dark horse contenders. The golden generation tag still follows them, Belgium have been carrying expectations of a major tournament breakthrough for the better part of a decade, but this squad has a different feel, with younger players taking on more responsibility and the tactical setup more coherent than some of Belgium’s previous tournament campaigns.
Senegal are one of the best stories of the group stage despite the frustration of their manager Papa Theof not consistently selecting his best players, Sadio Mane and others watching from the bench while the team underperformed. If Senegal play with their full complement of talent and the organisation they are capable of, they are capable of beating anyone on their day. The question is whether the management gets it right in a knockout game where there is no recovery from getting the selection wrong.
Prediction: Belgium 2-1 Senegal
FIFA World Cup 2026, Wednesday July 1: USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Venue: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, California
Local time: 5:00 PM | GMT: 00:00 Thursday | IST: 05:30 Thursday
The United States enter this match with two significant concerns. The first is that they have not beaten a European team since 2021, a statistic that becomes highly relevant given they are now facing a Bosnia side that is European, experienced, physically imposing and capable of making the game ugly in exactly the ways that have historically troubled the US.
The second is the Turkey defeat, losing 3-2 in the 98th minute to an already-eliminated side, even with a heavily rotated squad, does not generate the momentum a team wants heading into a knockout round.
Against that, the positive case for the USA is compelling. Pochettino has built something genuinely exciting, a team that presses high, moves the ball quickly and creates chances through unpredictable combinations rather than predictable patterns.
Pulisic’s return from injury in the Turkey game, and the sharpness he showed in his cameo, is a significant positive. McKennie, Tillman and the midfield players who have been outstanding in the group stage will be at full strength for this. And Bosnia, for all their organisation and physicality, have an Eden Dzeko at forty years old who cannot be relied upon to carry the entire attacking burden for ninety minutes.
Bosnia will double up on Pulisic the moment he touches the ball. That creates openings elsewhere and Pochettino’s players need to find them quickly. If the USA play with the intensity and directness they showed against Paraguay and Australia rather than the listlessness of the Turkey game, they have enough to progress.
Prediction: USA 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
FIFA World Cup 2026, Thursday July 2: Spain vs Austria
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, California
Local time: 12:00 PM | GMT: 19:00 | IST: 00:30 Friday
Spain have been the most technically impressive team of the group stage in terms of possession quality, line-breaking passes and the relentlessness of their pressing system. They have not conceded a single goal. They have dominated possession against every opponent and reduced some sides to mere spectators for long passages of play. The concern, raised after a slightly laboured showing against Cape Verde in their second group game, is whether Yamal and Nico Williams are fully fit and whether the creativity that defines Spain’s best football is consistently available.
Austria come in as slight underdogs but with a squad that has pace, energy and the tactical intelligence to make this uncomfortable for Spain in the opening twenty or thirty minutes. If Austria can stay organised and force Spain into wide areas where the threat is easier to contain, they have the quality to nick something. But Spain’s defensive organisation, combined with their ability to control possession for ninety minutes and suffocate opponents who try to press them, makes them heavy favourites.
Prediction: Spain 2-0 Austria
FIFA World Cup 2026, Thursday July 2: Portugal vs Croatia
Venue: Toronto Stadium, Ontario, Canada
Local time: 7:00 PM | GMT: 23:00 | IST: 04:30 Friday
Portugal finished second in Group K after a tournament that has produced exactly the narrative rollercoaster their campaigns always seem to produce. The draw against DR Congo felt catastrophic. The 5-0 win over Uzbekistan felt like a statement. The result against Colombia determined their final position.
They come to Toronto having shown they can produce genuinely exciting football when the system is right, Bruno Fernandes, João Neves and Vitinha in midfield, Ronaldo leading the line with the third highest xG in the tournament, but also having shown the inconsistency that has defined their World Cup campaigns for years.
Croatia are familiar opponents in the context of major tournament knockouts and they will not come to Toronto with any fear of Portugal’s reputation. Luka Modric is forty years old and still pulling the strings in midfield with an intelligence that time has not diminished.
Croatia’s experience of knockout football, two World Cup semi-finals in the last eight years, is greater than Portugal’s, and their ability to control the tempo and prevent the game from becoming the fast, fluid contest that suits Portugal’s best players is a genuine tactical weapon.
This is a genuine fifty-fifty match and likely the most competitive tie of the entire Round of 32. Ronaldo scoring against Croatia in a World Cup knockout, the kind of occasion and stage that has historically produced his best international football, is one of the more plausible predictions going into this fixture.
Prediction: Portugal 2-1 Croatia
FIFA World Cup 2026, Thursday July 2: Switzerland vs Algeria
Venue: BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Local time: 8:00 PM | GMT: 03:00 Friday | IST: 08:30 Friday
Switzerland have been one of the most efficiently functional teams of the group stage, not spectacular but consistently effective, winning their matches without conceding unnecessary goals and qualifying with their squad largely intact. Granit Xhaka provides the midfield control that allows the attacking players to express themselves, and Xherdan Shaqiri, still capable of the extraordinary on his best days, gives them an outlet that Algeria will need to account for.
Algeria are one of the most interesting stories of the tournament. They qualified through Group J despite fierce competition and bring a passionate, technically gifted squad that has shown they can cause serious problems for organised European sides. The group stage results gave them confidence and belief that this is a team capable of a deep run rather than simply a respectable early exit.
Prediction: Switzerland 1-1 Algeria (Switzerland win on penalties)
FIFA World Cup 2026, Friday July 3: Australia vs Egypt
Venue: Dallas Stadium, Texas
Local time: 1:00 PM | GMT: 18:00 | IST: 23:30
Australia have been one of the most satisfying stories of the group stage. Graham Arnold’s side qualified from Group D with four points and a clean, professional approach that maximised their limited resources against genuinely better opposition. They will arrive in Dallas knowing this is the kind of match, against an opponent they should be able to compete with, that their tournament preparation has been building toward.
Egypt represent African football’s continued presence in the knockout stage and come in with the confidence of a squad that knows how to defend and how to punish on the counter-attack. Mohamed Salah’s involvement and influence across the tournament will be the central tactical discussion, he is the kind of player who changes the entire defensive calculation for the opposition, and Australia will need a dedicated plan for limiting his impact.
Prediction: Australia 1-1 Egypt (Australia win on penalties)
FIFA World Cup 2026, Friday July 3: Argentina vs Cape Verde
Venue: Miami Stadium, Florida
Local time: 6:00 PM | GMT: 22:00 | IST: 03:30 Saturday
The defending champions begin their title defence against arguably the most romantic story of the entire group stage. Cape Verde, the smallest country ever to qualify for the FIFA World Cup knockout stage, come to Miami having already achieved something unprecedented for their football history. The entire nation of approximately 580,000 people will be watching.
Argentina and Messi will be respectful of the occasion but utterly ruthless on the pitch. Messi, who has already broken Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record at this tournament, arrives in the kind of form that makes arguments about his level and his fitness seem slightly absurd.
The supporting cast of Alvarez, De Paul, Mac Allister and Di Maria provides the depth that makes Argentina genuinely capable of going all the way. Cape Verde will defend with enormous organisation and spirit, but the quality gap is simply too large to bridge for ninety minutes.
Prediction: Argentina 4-0 Cape Verde
FIFA World Cup 2026, Friday July 3: Colombia vs Ghana
Venue: Kansas City Stadium, Missouri
Local time: 8:30 PM | GMT: 01:30 Saturday | IST: 07:00 Saturday
The final match of the Round of 32 brings together two of the most interesting teams of the group stage. Colombia finished top of Group K and have been one of the most consistently impressive sides of the tournament, disciplined defensively, dangerous on the transition through Luis Díaz and the increasingly influential Daniel Muñoz, and with James Rodríguez pulling creative strings from midfield in ways that no other Colombian player in this generation can replicate.
Ghana were the team that produced the best defensive performance of the group stage, the 0-0 against England, frustrating one of the tournament favourites for ninety minutes with ten men behind the ball and the confidence of a team that knew exactly what they were doing. They will deploy a similar structure against Colombia and attempt to stay compact before looking for moments on the counter-attack through Semenyo and Iñaki Williams.
Colombia should have enough quality to break through Ghana’s defensive block eventually, though it may require patience and the kind of individual moment, a Díaz dribble, a Rodríguez through ball, a Muñoz overlap, that even the best-organised defensive units cannot account for. The game most likely to produce a surprise result in the Round of 32.
Prediction: Colombia 2-0 Ghana
FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32 at a glance
Sunday June 28: South Africa vs Canada (Los Angeles, 12:00 local / 19:00 GMT / 00:30 IST Mon)
Monday June 29: Brazil vs Japan (Houston, 12:00 local / 17:00 GMT / 22:30 IST) | Germany vs Paraguay (Boston, 4:30 local / 20:30 GMT / 02:00 IST Tue) | Netherlands vs Morocco (Monterrey, 7:00 local / 01:00 GMT Tue / 06:30 IST Tue)
Tuesday June 30: Ivory Coast vs Norway (Dallas, 12:00 local / 17:00 GMT / 22:30 IST) | France vs Sweden (New York/NJ, 5:00 local / 21:00 GMT / 02:30 IST Wed) | Mexico vs Ecuador (Mexico City, 7:00 local / 01:00 GMT Wed / 06:30 IST Wed)
Wednesday July 1: England vs DR Congo (Atlanta, 12:00 local / 16:00 GMT / 21:30 IST) | Belgium vs Senegal (Seattle, 1:00 local / 20:00 GMT / 01:30 IST Thu) | USA vs Bosnia (San Francisco, 5:00 local / 00:00 GMT Thu / 05:30 IST Thu)
Thursday July 2: Spain vs Austria (Los Angeles, 12:00 local / 19:00 GMT / 00:30 IST Fri) | Portugal vs Croatia (Toronto, 7:00 local / 23:00 GMT / 04:30 IST Fri) | Switzerland vs Algeria (Vancouver, 8:00 local / 03:00 GMT Fri / 08:30 IST Fri)
Friday July 3: Australia vs Egypt (Dallas, 1:00 local / 18:00 GMT / 23:30 IST) | Argentina vs Cape Verde (Miami, 6:00 local / 22:00 GMT / 03:30 IST Sat) | Colombia vs Ghana (Kansas City, 8:30 local / 01:30 GMT Sat / 07:00 IST Sat)
FIFA World Cup 2026, Round of 32: How to watch - broadcast and streaming details
Asia & Oceania
India
- Television: Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD. Select major fixtures (including the opening match, semifinals, and final) are also available free-to-air on Doordarshan (DD Dish).
- Streaming: ZEE5 (requires the dedicated ₹799 or ₹1,699 FIFA World Cup pack add-on).
Australia
- Television & Streaming: SBS and SBS On Demand (exclusive broadcast rights).
Japan
- Television: NHK (33 selected matches on terrestrial/NHK One and all 104 matches via NHK BS Premium 4K), along with Nippon TV and Fuji TV.
- Streaming: DAZN.
South Korea
- Television: JTBC and KBS.
- Streaming: NAVER Sports and Chzzk.
China
- Television & Streaming: CMG (China Media Group), Migu, and Xiaohongshu.
The Americas
United States
- Television (English): Fox Sports (70 matches on the main FOX network, including the Round of 16 through the final, with 34 matches on FS1).
- Television (Spanish): NBCUniversal’s Telemundo (92 matches) and Universo (12 matches).
- Streaming: Peacock Premium (Spanish-language simulcasts) and the FOX Sports App / Fox One app.
Canada
- Television & Streaming: Bell Media (CTV, TSN, and RDS for French-language coverage).
Mexico
- Television: TelevisaUnivision (Las Estrellas/TUDN) and TV Azteca.
- Streaming: ViX (32 matches free-to-air and all 104 matches with the premium add-on).
South America (Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, etc.)
- Television: Local broadcasters, including Telefe/TyC Sports (Argentina), Caracol/RCN (Colombia), and Chilevisión (Chile).
- Streaming/Pay-TV: DSports (DirecTV Sports) and Disney+.
Europe
United Kingdom
- Television & Streaming: BBC (BBC One, BBC iPlayer) and ITV (ITV1, ITVX), with STV covering Scotland.
Germany
- Television: ARD and ZDF.
- Streaming/Pay-TV: Magenta Sport.
France
- Television & Streaming: M6 and beIN Sports.
Spain
- Television & Streaming: RTVE (La 1 and RTVE Play), Mediapro, and DAZN.
Italy
- Television & Streaming: RAI and DAZN.
Netherlands
- Television & Streaming: NOS.
Middle East & Africa
MENA Region (Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc.)
- Television & Streaming: beIN Sports holds exclusive rights across the region, while Alkass Sports has select sub-licenses.
Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, etc.)
- Free-to-Air / Local TV: SABC (South Africa), GBC (Ghana), KBC (Kenya), SportyTV, and StarTimes.
- Pay-TV & Streaming: New World TV and SuperSport.
Global / In-Flight Transit
Cruise Ships & Air Travel
- Streaming: Sport24 provides live FIFA World Cup coverage on participating commercial airlines and international cruise ships.
FAQ Section
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 begins on June 28, with South Africa taking on Canada in the first knockout match.
The Round of 32 features 16 knockout matches played between June 28 and July 3, with winners advancing to the Round of 16.
Fans in India can watch the matches on United8 Sports 1 & 2 and stream them live on ZEE5. Broadcast partners vary by country.
Nine African nations reached the Round of 32, giving CAF the highest qualification rate of any confederation at the tournament.
Portugal and Argentina’s potential Round of 16 opponents will depend on the results of their respective Round of 32 matches and the knockout bracket.
Amar Pal Singh Bhalla is a sports writer covering cricket, football and tennis.
Based in India, he has followed the game for the last few years and writes
match analysis, previews and features for Beyond The Score
