Colombia claimed the final place in the 2026 World Cup knockout phase with a 1-0 victory over Ghana in Kansas City, a result that closed the Round of 32 and locked in all eight last-16 ties. Jhon Arias scored the decisive goal in the 14th minute, and the South American side then managed the game with a defensive discipline that prevented Ghana from registering a single shot on target. The outcome, viewed from Accra, extinguished the last hope of a third African representative in the next round, leaving only Morocco and Egypt to carry the continent’s challenge.

Argentina, the defending champions, had earlier survived a severe examination from Cape Verde in Miami, needing extra time to prevail 3-2. Lionel Messi opened the scoring, but Cape Verde equalised twice—through Deroy Duarte and a spectacular Sidny Lopes Cabral strike—before a Cristian Romero header deflected off Diney Borges for an own goal that settled the contest. Egypt, meanwhile, advanced by beating Australia 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, a result that, seen from Tokyo and Sydney, confirmed the elimination of all Asian confederation sides at this stage.

The three co-hosts all progressed, a fact noted with satisfaction across North American media. Canada, the United States and Mexico each won their Round of 32 ties, and the draw has handed them demanding assignments: Canada face Morocco, the United States meet Belgium, and Mexico take on England in a fixture that has captured particular attention in both London and Mexico City. The bracket also features a meeting of Iberian neighbours, Portugal against Spain, a contest that pits Cristiano Ronaldo’s pursuit of a first World Cup winners’ medal against a Spanish defence yet to concede in the tournament. Brazil, five-time champions, will confront a Norway side led by Erling Haaland, a matchup that revives memories of the nations’ meetings in the 1990s.

The Round of 16 begins with Canada versus Morocco in Houston on 4 July, followed hours later by Paraguay against France in Philadelphia. The winners of those two ties will meet in the quarter-finals, a path that, from a Parisian vantage point, appears favourable for a French team that has avoided the half of the draw containing Argentina, Brazil, England and the Portugal-Spain victor. The knockout phase, now set, will unfold across eight venues in the United States, with the first quarter-finalists to be known within 48 hours of the opening whistle.