Miami Gardens, United States. The round of 32 at the largest World Cup to date is set after 72 matches eliminated 16 of the 48 teams in the group stage. Pre-tournament favorites including France, Spain, England and Argentina all advanced, alongside several surprise qualifiers.
Surprise teams reach knockout stage
Cape Verde advanced in its first World Cup appearance after drawing all three of its group-stage matches. The Democratic Republic of the Congo also moved on, reaching the knockout stage for the first time in its second World Cup appearance after previously competing as Zaire in 1974.
African teams post strong results
Cape Verde will face defending champion Argentina on Friday in Miami Gardens, Florida. DR Congo is scheduled to play England on Wednesday in Atlanta.
The result for Cape Verde, the third-smallest country ever to compete at the World Cup, forms part of a broader strong performance by African teams. Nine of the continent’s 10 representatives advanced to the knockout stage.
Regional representation in the round of 32
The round of 32 includes 13 teams from Europe, five from South America and two from Asia. The only three North American teams to advance are co-hosts Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Notable eliminations and late qualification change
The highest-profile team to fail to advance was Uruguay, ranked No. 16 by FIFA entering the tournament.
Iran, ranked No. 20, drew all three group matches and came close to qualifying before Austria scored a last-minute equalizer against Algeria on Saturday. The goal moved Algeria into the eighth and final qualifying third-place position and eliminated Iran.
Unbeaten group-stage teams and standout matchup
Only Argentina, France and Mexico won all three of their group-stage matches.
One of the most notable round of 32 fixtures is the Netherlands against Morocco on Monday in Guadalupe, Mexico. The Netherlands scored 10 goals while finishing 2-0-1 in Group F, drawing with Japan and defeating Sweden and Tunisia. Morocco, a semifinalist at the 2022 World Cup, finished 2-0-1 in Group C after drawing with Brazil and beating Scotland and Haiti.