Lead
The business end of the FIFA World Cup begins on Saturday with the last-16 teams remaining in the tournament fighting it out for quarterfinal spots, as reported by Al Jazeera. Over the next four days (July 4-7), several huge matchups between some of the greatest teams from around the globe are set to take place.
Coverage comparison
Al Jazeera has provided a guide to the best matches to watch in the Round of 16, highlighting seven fixtures scheduled across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The coverage also includes a separate preview of the earlier Round of 32, which detailed matchups such as Netherlands vs Morocco, France vs Sweden, and Argentina vs Cape Verde. Both reports present the matches with a neutral and informative tone, focusing on team form and historical context.
Key claims
- Canada vs Morocco – July 4, Saturday, Houston Stadium, 17:00 GMT. Canada’s best chance against Morocco might have been to recruit Yassine Bounou, but former coach Benito Floro was turned down by Bounou, who spent the first three years of his life in Montreal. The last time the Canadians tried to get past Bounou, they lost 2-1 and were eliminated in the group stage in Qatar. Canada should be more confident after their first two World Cup wins, attacking through Tajon Buchanan on the right wing and Alphonso Davies, moving up from left back. Davies (hamstring) returned in the group stage match against South Africa. Coach Jesse Marsch has juggled the midfield, with Nathan-Dylan Saliba replacing Ismael Kone, who sustained a broken leg against Qatar. Morocco’s reload has failed to ignite offensively, but they know Bounou is there to bail them out – all the Atlas Lions have to do is get to a penalty shootout. The winner probably gets France in the quarterfinals.
- France vs Paraguay – July 4, Saturday, Philadelphia Stadium, 21:00 GMT. The Guaranies have surprised, but if Les Bleus know their history, that will not be the case in this game. In 1958, France trailed against Paraguay in a group-stage match but came back to win 7-3, with Just Fontaine scoring a hat-trick.
- Brazil vs Norway – July 5, Sunday, New York/New Jersey Stadium, 20:00 GMT.
- Mexico vs England – July 5, Sunday, Mexico City Stadium, 00:00 GMT on Monday.
- USA vs Belgium – July 6, Monday, Seattle Stadium, 00:00 GMT on Tuesday.
- Portugal vs Spain – July 6, Monday, Dallas Stadium, 19:00 GMT.
- Netherlands vs Morocco – Monday, June 29, 7pm (01:00 GMT on Tuesday) at Monterrey Stadium, Mexico. A rare meeting of top 10-ranked teams – Morocco are sixth in FIFA world rankings while the Netherlands are seventh – in the first elimination phase. At Qatar 2022, Morocco defeated three European foes on the way to a semifinal berth. The Atlas Lions have one Euro notch under their belt this time, but they had trouble with Scotland, and they will need to up their game against the Dutch. The Netherlands should have a handle on Bayern Munich-bound Ismael Saibari, who has been in PSV Eindhoven’s ranks since 2020. This presents a rematch of a 1994 World Cup game, which the Netherlands won, 2-1, on a steamy day in Orlando, Florida. Key to the match: Morocco’s defence versus the Dutch attackers Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo.
- Ivory Coast vs Norway – Tuesday, June 30, 17:00 GMT at Dallas Stadium, Texas, US. After two games, Erling Haaland and most of his fellow starters were declared exhausted by Stale Solbakken and were rested against France in the last group game. If so, the extra days off should mean Haaland will be raring to add to his four-goal total. Solbakken said the 3-2 win over Senegal took an especially high toll, due to the Teranga Lions’ physicality, and he expects a similar challenge from Ivory Coast.
- France vs Sweden – Tuesday, June 30, at New York/New Jersey Stadium, US.
- USA vs Bosnia – Wednesday, July 1, at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, California, US.
- Spain vs Austria – Thursday, July 2, at Los Angeles Stadium.
- Portugal vs Croatia – Thursday, July 2, at Toronto Stadium, Ontario, Canada.
- Argentina vs Cape Verde – Friday, July 3, at Miami Stadium, Florida, US.
- Colombia vs Ghana – Friday, July 3, at Kansas City Stadium, Missouri, US.