Round of 32 Commences After Expanded Group Stage
The newly-created World Cup round of 32 is set to begin after a thrilling conclusion to the expanded group stage. England secured top spot in Group L after a 2-0 win over Panama in rainy New Jersey on Saturday night, joined by both Croatia and Ghana. Only 16 teams now depart the World Cup at the group stage following the jump from 32 to 48 qualified nations, with Uruguay the most high-profile side to fall at the first hurdle in a combustible and dramatic end to the Marcelo Bielsa era.
Scotland’s wait to reach the knockout stages for the first time goes on, leading to the swift resignation of manager Steve Clarke, while Jordan, Curacao and Uzbekistan all saw their first appearances on football’s biggest stage finish early. South Korea and Turkey are two more big casualties from the group stage, with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Haiti, Panama, Qatar, Czech Republic, New Zealand and Iraq also heading home.
Round of 32 Fixtures: Full Schedule
Everyone else - including debutants Cape Verde - now prepare to contest the round of 32, which kicks off with one of the co-hosts in action on Sunday. All times BST.
June 28
- 8pm: South Africa vs Canada (Los Angeles)
June 29
- 6pm: Brazil vs Japan (Houston)
- 9.30pm: Germany vs Paraguay (Boston)
June 30
- 2am: Netherlands vs Morocco (Monterrey)
- 6pm: Ivory Coast vs Norway (Dallas)
- 10pm: France vs Sweden (New York/New Jersey)
July 1
- 2am: Mexico vs Ecuador (Mexico City)
- 5pm: England vs DR Congo (Atlanta)
- 9pm: Belgium vs Senegal (Seattle)
July 2
- 1am: USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (San Francisco)
- 8pm: Spain vs Austria (Los Angeles)
July 3
- 12am: Portugal vs Croatia (Toronto)
- 4am: Switzerland vs Algeria (Vancouver)
- 7pm: Australia vs Egypt (Dallas)
- 11pm: Argentina vs Cape Verde (Miami)
July 4
- 2.30am: Colombia vs Ghana (Kansas City)
Knockout Phase: Round of 16 and Beyond
After the round of 32, the tournament progresses to the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off, and final.
Round of 16
- July 4: 10pm – Match 89: Winner match 74 v Winner match 77 (Philadelphia)
- July 4: 6pm – Match 90: Winner match 73 v Winner match 75 (Houston)
- July 5: 9pm – Match 91: Winner match 76 v Winner match 78 (New York/New Jersey)
- July 6: 1am – Match 92: Winner match 79 v Winner match 80 (Mexico City)
- July 6: 8pm – Match 93: Winner match 83 v Winner match 84 (Dallas)
- July 7: 1am – Match 94: Winner match 81 v Winner match 82 (Seattle)
- July 7: 5pm – Match 95: Winner match 86 v Winner match 88 (Atlanta)
- July 7: 9pm – Match 96: Winner match 85 v Winner match 87 (Vancouver)
Quarter-finals
- July 9: 9pm – Match 97: Winner match 89 v Winner match 90 (Boston)
- July 10: 8pm – Match 98: Winner match 93 v Winner match 94 (Los Angeles)
- July 11: 10pm – Match 99: Winner match 91 v Winner match 92 (Miami)
- July 12: 2am – Match 100: Winner match 95 v Winner match 96 (Kansas City)
Semi-finals
- July 14: 8pm – Match 101: Winner match 97 v Winner match 98 (Dallas)
- July 15: 8pm – Match 102: Winner match 99 v Winner match 100 (Atlanta)
Third-place Final
- July 18: 10pm – Match 103: Loser match 101 v Loser match 102 (Miami)
Final
- July 18: 8pm – Match 104: Winner match 101 v Winner match 102 (New York/New Jersey)
England will face DR Congo in the round of 32 on July 1 in Atlanta, as they aim to progress deep into the tournament.
