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Cup 2026
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France's attack of (from left) Bradley Barcola, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele are formidable Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
If day 19 of the World Cup was all about nerve-shredding late drama and penalty shootouts, then day 20 brought emphatic victories from France and Mexico.
France underlined their credentials with a superb 3-0 victory over Sweden thanks to two goals from Kylian Mbappe, who moved level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot and just one goal behind his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate’s all-time World Cup goalscoring record.
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Mexico joined them in the round of 16 with an impressive 2-0 win over Ecuador in front of a passionate home crowd at the Azteca Stadium. It is the first time since 1986 that they have won a World Cup knockout game — and, with Canada also through, the United States can make it a clean sweep for the host nations when they face Bosnia and Herzegovina this evening.
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Also breaking new ground, with a first victory in the World Cup knockout stage, are Norway, who beat Ivory Coast 2-1 with a late winner from Erling Haaland. Norway will face Brazil in the round of 16 and, unlikely as it might sound, they have never lost to the five-time World Cup winners (two wins, two draws).
Ivory Coast 1-2 Norway
France 3-0 Sweden
Mexico 2-0 Ecuador
The criticism of France at the European Championship two years ago was that, despite a glut of talented attackers, they were dreary to watch.
Their results, culminating in a semi-final defeat against Spain, were 1-0, 0-0, 1-1, 1-0, 0-0 (won on penalties), 1-2. Of the four goals they scored in Germany, two were own goals and one was a penalty. So much individual quality, but so little cohesion.
At this World Cup, they have been a joy to watch. Mbappe has made the headlines by scoring six goals but the entire forward line is thriving. Ousmane Dembele has scored four goals, including a hat-trick against Norway, Bradley Barcola got his second goal of the tournament yesterday, and Michael Olise, though he is yet to score, has excelled in a creative sense.
It is rare for a team to boast an attack of such quality at a World Cup. England coach Thomas Tuchel spoke last week about how much harder it is to establish that kind of fluency and cohesion in international football than in the club game. But in contrast to Euro 2024, France have been scintillating up front. The Olise-Mbappe connection has begun to look irresistible.
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Former France forward Thierry Henry, speaking on Fox after yesterday’s victory, called Olise a “freak”, so exceptional is his vision and his ability to spot a pass. “The MVP will always be Kylian,” Henry said. “But the most important player is Michael Olise.”
Plenty would stick with Mbappe, but others might say Dembele or perhaps even Desire Doue or Barcola. The point is that this is a forward line in which those wonderfully gifted individuals are combining so well as a collective. Olise, who was among those players Didier Deschamps called up after the Euro 2024 disappointment, has been a revelation.
As they look ahead to facing Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, they are going to take some stopping.
It took Messi until his fifth World Cup to score in a knockout game. Cristiano Ronaldo, in his sixth, has yet to do the same.
Erling Haaland needed 86 minutes.
The goal that secured Norway’s 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast was far from the most difficult of Haaland’s career — and far from the most convincing finish — but it was another illustration of the instincts that make him the deadliest penalty-box predator in world football.
It was, at age 25, his 60th international goal in his 53rd appearance for Norway. To put that in context, Ronaldo, who holds the record for the most goals in men’s international football (145), scored his 60th in his 129th appearance for Portugal at the age of 31. Messi’s 60th goal for Argentina came in his 122nd appearance at the age of 30. Even Mbappe’s 60th goal came only last week, against Iraq, in his 100th appearance for France at the age of 27.
It is a similar story in the Premier League, where Haaland has scored 112 goals in 132 matches for Manchester City, putting him firmly on course to break Alan Shearer’s record of 260 goals. The question is whether he will stay in the Premier League long enough to do that or whether, like Harry Kane, he will pursue a new challenge in another league. Ronaldo’s record of 140 Champions League goals is a long way off, but Haaland, with 57 goals in 58 games, could feasibly get there.
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Haaland does not match Mbappe when it comes to all-round game and the ability to create chances from nothing, but what defines him is that ability to be in the right place at the right time — time after time. As often, he went long periods against Ivory Coast without touching the ball. But as so often, he managed to find space in the penalty area in the closing stages and, albeit a little more hesitantly than usual, he took advantage.
Brazil will be favourites to beat Norway — for what would be the first time — in Sunday’s round-of-16 clash, but their defence — particularly Arsenal centre-back Gabriel — will know precisely where the main threat lies.
But while identifying that threat is one thing, stopping it is another. Where there is Haaland, there is hope for Norway.
If England can overcome DR Congo in Atlanta this afternoon, their reward — if it can be described as such — will be a trip across the border to face Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. To judge by Ecuador’s experience last night, it would be like entering the lions’ den.
All three hosts have appeared inspired by local support at this World Cup, but none of them quite like Mexico, who have won all four games on home turf without conceding a goal. Their supporters’ fervour has increased with every game and win. The noise and the energy inside the stadium appeared to overwhelm Ecuador in the early stages. By the round of 16 on Sunday evening it will be at fever pitch.
Staging the World Cup across three nations — the U.S., Canada and Mexico — has provided variety, enriching the experience of the tournament. Despite an aggressive ticket-pricing strategy, attendance records have been broken and the atmosphere in all 16 host cities has been enjoyed.
It feels a shame that Mexico’s hosting experience will conclude with that one last-16 tie — and Canada’s likewise with a match in Vancouver two days later.
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The Azteca would have been a great venue for the final, not only for atmosphere but because it has such a rich World Cup heritage, having staged the final in 1970 and 1986. FIFA decided that all games from the quarter-finals onwards should take place in the U.S., where the revenue potential is greater.
Mexico would be confident that their supporters in the U.S. could turn a potential quarter-final in Miami into another home game. Above all, they will ensure the Azteca is rocking once more on Sunday. For England or DR Congo, it sounds like the ultimate World Cup away day.
Mauricio Pochettino is calling it a "World Cup final". It isn't, of course, but the message is clear. The U.S. are in a position where every game will feel like a final — starting against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara this evening.
It is a sign of soaring American optimism and expectation that Pochettino's team will be considered strong favourites. Former U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard has suggested Bosnia would be “better off not even getting on a plane and going to San Francisco”, such is his confidence in the outcome.
Pochettino will not hear of such talk. The knockout stage has shown how tough and how tight these games can be. And as Henry Bushnell detailed here, the U.S. have lost their last 10 games against European opposition, dating back to 2022. In fact, since a famous victory over England in 1950, they have only won one World Cup match against a European team, a 3-2 win over Portugal in South Korea in 2002.
But this is undoubtedly an opportunity. Bosnia are 64th in the FIFA rankings and their only win at this World Cup — in fact their only 90-minute win in their past eight matches — came against Qatar. Their greatest strength is their resilience, as they showed when clinging on through extra time before beating Wales and Italy on penalties in the qualification play-offs. A penalty shootout against Bosnia would not be for the faint of heart.
England will be favourites against DR Congo in Atlanta in the first game of the day, as will Belgium against Senegal in Seattle. But words like “favourites” count for little at this stage. The African teams have performed well at this World Cup. There is no room for complacency among the European contingent.
England vs DR Congo (12pm ET; 5pm BST)
Belgium vs Senegal (4pm ET; 9pm BST)
United States vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (8pm ET; 1am BST)
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