The Round of 16 stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has concluded. In the tournament's most tense matches, the national teams of Argentina, Colombia, and Egypt secured their spots in the quarterfinals. The defending world champions, African underdogs, and South American favorites went through a true ordeal to continue their fight for the main trophy.
Argentina vs Cape Verde: a thriller that rewrote history
The match between Argentina and Cape Verde was the main event of the day. The "Albiceleste," boasting an incredible winning streak in the knockout stages since 2019, approached the game as undisputed favorites. However, the "Blue Sharks" from Cape Verde created a real nightmare for the giants on the field.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 30th minute. Following a flawless pass from Lisandro Martinez, the Argentine captain capitalized on the moment, allowing his team to go into the break as leaders for the fifth consecutive time in World Cup knockout stages — a historic achievement.
The second half turned into a rollercoaster. Deroy Duarte equalized, making the favorites nervous. The game went into extra time, where the tension reached its peak. In the 92nd minute, Lisandro Martinez put Argentina ahead again, but the scoreboard soon flashed 2-2. Six minutes later, Sydney Lopes Cabral, who plays for Trabzonspor alongside Ukrainians Ruslan Malinovskyi and Arseniy Batahov, restored parity with a magnificent strike.
The decisive moment came in the 111th minute. Messi delivered a perfect corner kick, Cristian Romero struck a powerful shot, and the ball, deflecting off defender Dini Borges, flew into the net. FIFA recorded this goal as an own goal, denying Messi a historic assist record, but Argentina held on to win 3-2.
Colombia and Egypt: a calm victory and a historic sensation
In a parallel match, the Colombian national team secured a confident, yet no less important, victory over Ghana with a score of 1-0. The Colombians took control of the game from the first minutes. Already in the 14th minute, Luis Suarez delivered a precise cross, and John Arias sent the ball into the net with a single touch. In the second half, Luis Diaz could have doubled the lead, but the referees disallowed the goal due to offside. The Ghanaians attempted to storm the goal in the final minutes but were limited to fouls and yellow cards.
The teams of Egypt and Australia provided a true sensation, meeting for the first time in an official match in history. The match kept everyone on edge until the very end. The Egyptians opened the scoring in the 13th minute thanks to Emam Ashour. Australia equalized in the 55th minute following a comical own goal by Mohamed Hany. In extra time, Mohamed Salah could have secured the victory, but the Australian goalkeeper made an incredible save.
In the penalty shootout, the Egyptians' nerves proved stronger — 4-2. This is Egypt's first victory in the knockout stages of the World Cup in history. Salah's team will play at such a high stage of the tournament for the first time since 1934.
Stage results and quarterfinal schedule
Having secured difficult victories, Argentina and Colombia were the last to board the train to the next round, completing the tournament bracket. All quarterfinal matches will take place from July 4 to July 7. It was previously reported that the knockout round would be opened by Canada and Morocco.
