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The 2026 World Cup reaches the last 16 from 4 to 7 July: eight single-elimination ties over four days, across eight host cities from Philadelphia and MetLife to the Estadio Azteca and BC Place. Here is the full schedule, how each slot is fed by the new Round of 32, the standout matchups the bracket points toward, and the four-step road from here to the final at MetLife on 19 July.
Updated 27 June 2026 · WorldCuply.com editorial · Sources: FIFA, ESPN, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, FOX Sports
8
Last-16 ties
4 to 7 Jul
Round of 16 dates
8
Host cities
19 Jul
Final at MetLife
How to read this page. The Round of 16 dates, venues and kickoff times are already fixed. The teams are not: the 16 ties of the new Round of 32 run from 28 June to 3 July, and their winners fill the eight last-16 slots below. We show every slot by its bracket position and the standout matchups the seedings point toward, then how the winners advance to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the MetLife final.
The Stage
What the Round of 16 is in 2026
The last 16 is the same stage by name as in every recent World Cup, but in the 48-team format it arrives one round later.
In the old 32-team World Cup, the Round of 16 followed straight after the groups. In 2026 the group stage produces 32 qualifiers, the 12 group winners, the 12 runners-up and the eight best third-placed teams, who first contest the brand-new Round of 32 from 28 June to 3 July. The 16 winners of those ties form the Round of 16, played from 4 to 7 July. From there the familiar path resumes: quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final, just one round longer than fans are used to.
Every match from the Round of 32 onward is single elimination. There are no draws and no replays: a tie level after 90 minutes goes to extra time and, if still level, a penalty shootout. That sudden-death format is exactly why the last 16 so reliably produces the upsets and drama a World Cup is remembered for.
The Schedule
All eight Round of 16 ties
Two matches a day across four days and eight host cities. Each tie is fed by two specific Round of 32 winners, so the venue and date of every slot is locked even before the teams are known. Times shown are local kickoff hints in Eastern Time.
Saturday 4 July
Winner 73 vs Winner 75
Match 90 · NRG Stadium, Houston · 1pm ET
4 Jul
Winner 74 vs Winner 77
Match 89 · Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia · 5pm ET
4 Jul
Sunday 5 July
Winner 76 vs Winner 78
Match 91 · MetLife Stadium, New York and New Jersey · 4pm ET
5 Jul
Winner 79 vs Winner 80
Match 92 · Estadio Azteca, Mexico City · 8pm ET
5 Jul
Monday 6 July
Winner 83 vs Winner 84
Match 93 · AT&T Stadium, Dallas · 3pm ET
6 Jul
Winner 81 vs Winner 82
Match 94 · Lumen Field, Seattle · 8pm ET
6 Jul
Tuesday 7 July
Winner 86 vs Winner 88
Match 95 · Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta · 12pm ET
7 Jul
Winner 85 vs Winner 87
Match 96 · BC Place, Vancouver · 4pm ET
7 Jul
The Estadio Azteca and BC Place ties on 5 and 7 July are the last World Cup matches staged outside the United States: from the quarter-finals onward, every game is on US soil. For each kickoff in your own time zone, use the WorldCuply.com match schedule.
The Matchups
The standout ties the bracket points toward
The pairings lock once the Round of 32 finishes on 3 July, but the bracket structure already tells us which heavyweight collisions are live. These assume the group winners come through their Round of 32 ties.
France vs Germany?
Match 89Philadelphia
Why it is live: Match 89 is fed by Round of 32 matches 74 and 77, which sit under the Group E and Group I winners. With Germany topping Group E and France winning Group I, the tournament could serve up two title contenders as early as the last 16, in Philadelphia on 4 July.
Mexico vs England?
Match 92Estadio Azteca
Why it is live: Match 92 at the Estadio Azteca pairs the winners of matches 79 and 80, which flow from the Group A and Group L winners. That points to hosts Mexico, perfect in Group A, against England in Mexico City on 5 July, with the altitude and a roaring home crowd in the mix.
A United States last-16?
Match 94Seattle
Why it is live: Match 94 in Seattle is fed by matches 81 and 82, under the Group D and Group G winners. With the United States topping Group D, the co-hosts have a real route into a Lumen Field last-16 tie on 6 July, one of the most winnable-looking slots in the bracket.
The South American slots
Matches 95 & 96Atlanta & Vancouver
Why it matters: The bottom-half slots feeding Atlanta and Vancouver sit under the Group J, K and H winners, the region of the draw holding Argentina, Brazil and Portugal. This is the loaded half where the tournament could be decided long before the final.
The Map
How the bracket splits
The eight ties divide cleanly into two halves that never meet until the final. Knowing which slot a team lands in tells you everything about its route.
The top half, made up of Matches 89, 90, 91 and 92, funnels through the Boston and Los Angeles quarter-finals into the Dallas semi-final on 14 July. On the seedings this is the half built around France and Spain, with Germany, the Netherlands and hosts Mexico in the mix.
The bottom half, Matches 93, 94, 95 and 96, funnels through the Miami and Kansas City quarter-finals into the Atlanta semi-final on 15 July. That is the loaded side, holding Brazil, Argentina, England and Portugal. Because the two South American giants sit on the same side, they can only meet in the semi-finals, and just one can reach MetLife. The full picture is in our knockout bracket guide.
The Road On
From the last 16 to the final
Win a Round of 16 tie and the path to New York and New Jersey is short and clear: three more matches, all on US soil.
Quarter-finals · 9 to 11 July
Winner 89 vs Winner 90
Match 97 · Gillette Stadium, Boston
Thu 9 Jul
Winner 93 vs Winner 94
Match 98 · SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
Fri 10 Jul
Winner 91 vs Winner 92
Match 99 · Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Sat 11 Jul
Winner 95 vs Winner 96
Match 100 · Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
Sat 11 Jul
Semi-finals · 14 and 15 July
Winner 97 vs Winner 98
Match 101 · AT&T Stadium, Arlington (Dallas)
Tue 14 Jul
Winner 99 vs Winner 100
Match 102 · Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Wed 15 Jul
The last two matches
Third-place playoff
Match 103 · Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Sat 18 Jul
Final: Winner 101 vs Winner 102
Match 104 · MetLife Stadium, New York and New Jersey · 3pm ET
Sun 19 Jul
The top-half last-16 winners resolve through Boston and Los Angeles into the Dallas semi-final; the bottom-half winners resolve through Miami and Kansas City into the Atlanta semi-final. The two semi-final winners then contest the MetLife Stadium final on 19 July. For the stadium that opened the tournament instead, see our Estadio Azteca guide.
Questions & Answers
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2026 World Cup Round of 16?
The Round of 16 runs from Saturday 4 July to Tuesday 7 July 2026, eight single-elimination matches over four days, two per day. It is the second knockout round of the 48-team format, sitting between the new Round of 32 (28 June to 3 July) and the quarter-finals (9 to 11 July). The dates, kickoff times and venues are already fixed; only the matchups are confirmed once the Round of 32 finishes on 3 July.
Where are the Round of 16 matches played?
The eight ties are spread across eight host cities. Six are in the United States: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and NRG Stadium in Houston on 4 July, MetLife Stadium in New York and New Jersey on 5 July, AT&T Stadium in Dallas and Lumen Field in Seattle on 6 July, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on 7 July. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City hosts on 5 July and BC Place in Vancouver hosts on 7 July, the last World Cup matches outside the United States, since every game from the quarter-finals onward is on US soil.
How are the Round of 16 ties decided?
Each of the eight Round of 16 matches is fed by two specific Round of 32 results. The bracket is pre-set: for example Match 89 in Philadelphia pairs the winners of Round of 32 matches 74 and 77, while Match 96 in Vancouver pairs the winners of matches 85 and 87. The slots are locked, so the venue and date of every tie is known in advance; the only thing that changes is which two teams arrive once the 16 Round of 32 ties are played from 28 June to 3 July.
What are the standout Round of 16 matchups?
If the seeds hold, the bracket points to some heavyweight ties. Match 89 in Philadelphia can pit France against Germany, since the Group I and Group E winners both feed it, a potential last-16 clash of two title contenders. Match 92 at the Estadio Azteca can produce hosts Mexico against England, the Group A and Group L winners. Match 94 in Seattle lines up a possible United States meeting. None is guaranteed, because the Round of 32 has to be navigated first, but the structure makes them live.
Who has qualified for the Round of 16?
No team is in the Round of 16 yet. The 32 teams that came through the group stage, the 12 group winners, the 12 runners-up and the eight best third-placed teams, first play the Round of 32 from 28 June to 3 July. The 16 winners of those ties make up the Round of 16. Group winners such as France, Argentina, Spain, Brazil, England, Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany and the United States are among the seeds aiming to reach it, but each must win a Round of 32 tie first.
What are the Round of 16 kickoff times?
Kickoff times are staggered across four time zones. In Eastern Time, the slots are roughly: 4 July, Houston at 1pm and Philadelphia at 5pm; 5 July, MetLife at 4pm and the Estadio Azteca at 8pm; 6 July, Dallas at 3pm and Seattle at 8pm; 7 July, Atlanta at 12pm and Vancouver at 4pm. Because the venues span the US, Mexico and Canada, always check the local conversion for the stadium before kickoff. The WorldCuply.com schedule shows every time in your own time zone.
How does the Round of 16 fit into the bracket?
The eight Round of 16 winners pair off into four quarter-finals from 9 to 11 July, in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Kansas City. Those feed two semi-finals, the Dallas semi-final on 14 July from the top half of the draw and the Atlanta semi-final on 15 July from the bottom half. The two semi-final winners meet in the final at MetLife Stadium on 19 July. So a Round of 16 result is the gateway to a clear, four-step path to New York and New Jersey.
What happens if a Round of 16 match is drawn?
From the Round of 32 onward there are no draws. If a Round of 16 tie is level after 90 minutes it goes to two periods of 15 minutes of extra time, and if it is still level after that it is decided by a penalty shootout. There is no replay and no away-goals rule. That sudden-death format is part of why the last 16 so often produces the drama and upsets of a World Cup, and why squad depth and nerve from the penalty spot matter so much.
Which teams are favourites to go deep from the Round of 16?
On group-stage form, France and Argentina look the strongest of the contenders aiming for the last 16, France having won Group I conceding once and Argentina coming through Group J with a perfect record. Spain and Brazil grew into the tournament, while England and Portugal sit in a loaded bottom half. The full picture is in our updated power ranking. Any of them still has to win a Round of 32 tie to reach the Round of 16 in the first place.
Is the Round of 16 the same as the old World Cup last 16?
It is the same stage by name, the last 16 teams, but it arrives differently. In the old 32-team format the Round of 16 came straight after the group stage. In the 48-team 2026 format the group stage produces 32 qualifiers who first play the new Round of 32, so the Round of 16 is now the second knockout round rather than the first. The winners' path from there, quarter-final, semi-final, final, is the familiar one, just one round longer overall.
This Round of 16 preview was hand-written from the following schedule and reporting pages, used to confirm the dates, venues, kickoff slots and bracket structure of the last 16:
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