WORLD CUP DAILY, June 27: More teams make Round of 32, which starts Sunday with Canada in action

WORLD CUP DAILY, June 27: More teams make Round of 32, which starts Sunday with Canada in action

Published 7:00 am Saturday, June 27, 2026

FIFA World Cup Trophy displayed at BC Place Stadium on July 26, 2024 in Vancouver. (Ethan Cairns/Getty Images for FIFA)

Daily FIFA World Cup soccer match updates and news for Black Press Media publications.

The Round of 32 is quickly filling up with more qualified teams including France and Norway, top teams in Group I following Friday matches (a 4-1 win for France over Norway, Senegal’s 5-0 victory over Iraq).

Matches this week lead to the World Cup knockout phase (Round of 32), which runs Sunday, June 28 to Friday, July 3.

With the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams for 2026, 32 teams advance from the group stage — the top two from each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers.

Sunday’s only game is Canada vs. South Africa, noon start time in Los Angeles, in the first of the knockout round.

Monday matches are Brazil vs. Japan, Germany vs. Paraguay and Netherlands vs. Morocco.

Tuesday’s knockout games are Ivory Coast vs. Norway, France vs. Sweden and Mexico vs. a team to be determined.

Wednesday, the U.S. will play Bosnia and Herzegovina, among three other games that day.

Round of 32 teams (so far, with more decided later Saturday):

World Cup numbers: 39-day FIFA soccer tournament started June 11 in Mexico.

2026 FIFA World Cup: An in-depth look at Canada’s midfielders and forwards.

2026 FIFA World Cup: An in-depth look into Canada’s goalkeepers and defence.

TROZZO: What a doctor on Canada’s bench in ’86 bench taught me about the World Cup.

PHOTOS: B.C.’s Science World fully transforms into FIFA World Cup match ball.

Vancouver’s 1st World Cup match led to TransLink’s busiest Saturday since Olympics.