The 2026 World Cup moves into knockout territory Today as the round of 16 kicks off with two games carrying very different storylines. One pits two surprise packages against each other, while the other features a heavy favorite looking to steamroll its way toward the quarterfinals. Both winners will meet Thursday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough for a spot in the final eight.
Canada and Morocco chase a first quarterfinal berth
Canada and Morocco open the day’s action at 1 p.m. ET in Houston, each team hoping to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in this tournament. Betting odds favor Morocco heavily at minus 300, with Canada sitting at plus 225 to advance at the 2026 World Cup.
Jesse Marsch’s Canada side reached this stage by winning a knockout match for the first time in program history, beating South Africa 2-0 in the round of 32. Morocco, which finished fourth at the 2022 tournament, needed a dramatic penalty shootout to eliminate the Netherlands and reach this point.
Whichever team wins in Houston will face either France or Paraguay in the World Cup quarterfinals later this week.
France looks unstoppable heading into Paraguay clash
The day’s second marquee matchup sends Paraguay against France at 5 p.m. ET in Philadelphia, and the odds tell the story on their own, with France a massive minus 1800 favorite against Paraguay’s plus 1080.
France has rolled through the World Cup tournament so far, winning four straight matches while scoring 13 goals and allowing just two. Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé have powered an attack that has looked nearly impossible to stop. The French squad enters as both the 2018 champion and 2022 runner up, carrying the kind of pedigree that makes Today’s matchup feel lopsided on paper.
Paraguay has taken a rockier road to get here. Los Guaraníes opened the tournament with a loss to the United States before rebounding to finish third in their group. They then pulled off an upset over Germany in a penalty shootout to punch their ticket to the round of 16.
History also favors France in this particular pairing. The two nations have met five times, with France winning three and drawing two, and Les Bleus have never lost to Paraguay. Their most recent meeting came in the 1998 World Cup round of 16, a tournament France went on to win after beating Paraguay 1-0 in that very matchup.
What comes next
Today’s results will shape one half of the bracket heading into the quarterfinal round at Gillette Stadium. A Canada or Morocco win would mark a milestone for either program, while a France victory would keep Les Bleus on pace as one of the tournament’s clearest favorites to make a deep run. Paraguay, meanwhile, will look to continue its underdog story against one of the most talented rosters left in the competition.
With the World Cup knockout stage now fully underway, every match carries the weight of single elimination, and Today’s slate offers an early test of which contenders are built for the pressure ahead.
Source: Yahoo Sports
