The first phase of the 2026 World Cup has come to a conclusion. 16 straight days of group stage matches are complete, eliminating 16 teams and giving 32 the chance to keep dreaming.

But dreams will inevitably be crushed as each match in the Round of 32 is win or go home. Let’s highlight the most anticipated showdowns.

USA v Bosnia and Herzegovinia

Although the United States won its Group D, a brutal 3-2 loss to Turkey in the final group stage match can be one of two things for the red, white and blue. It can either feed the fuel to win in the Round of 32 or cease the momentum and be eliminated.

And the USMNT’s opponent is a sneaky underdog in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who have talented, gritty players despite being third-place finishers in Group B. Both squads conceded only three goals in the group stage, and Bosnia only trails the U.S. by three in goals scored.

Just hope it doesn’t come down to penalties for the stars and stripes, where Milwaukee Messi could recreate what he did against Italy in qualifiers, against his birth country.

Netherlands v Morroco

The Dutch topped Group F, despite an opening 2-2 draw to Japan, due to big victories over Tunisia (3-1) and Sweden (5-1.) Morroco battled through a solid Group C, taking down Scotland and Haiti while drawing to Brazil. The AFCON champions finished second despite tying Brazil in points.

With these identical records of seven points, two wins, and a draw it sets up a competive match between two skilled and proficient teams. There’s an added layer to the match-up that three of Morroco’s players are actually Dutch-born, and Morroco has adopted much of the Netherland’s style of play including pressing and tatics.

Argentina v Cape Verde

The country of 525,000 are the smallest country to qualify to the knockout round in World Cup history. Cape Verde took second place in Group H following three straight draws against Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and, not to mention, Spain.

It’s history, it’s magic, it’s what the World Cup is all about. Their manager, Bubista, said in a news conference, “To us, nothing is impossible. From the very beginning, we’ve said that one of the purposes we had was to show our country to the rest of the world. To be able to play Argentina and Messi in a phase like this is excellent for our country, regardless of the match itself.”

Yes, their opponent in the Round of 32 is the reigning champion Argentina, who topped Group J with three straight victories and only allowing one goal. But what would the World Cup be without allowing the impossible to be possible?

Portugal v Croatia

It seemed too good to be true: Messi and Ronaldo meeting in the quarterfinals for one last dance. All it took was for both teams to win their groups. Argentina, no problem. Portugal, problem. Following a 0-0 draw with Colombia, Portugal finished second in the group. Unless both teams make it to the final, that dream has been obliterated.

It’s not only a warning siren for Portugal in that aspect, but also their expectations, as originally expected to make a deep run. Colombia is the perfect example: Ronaldo had not rested yet in a match, playing all 90 and Portugal got outshot 24-13.

Croatia is another roadblock in Portugal’s way, trailing England by one point in Group L, and have made it to their third World Cup knockout round in a row. 40-year-old Luka Modric proves the flip side of the coin that age is just a number, becoming the oldest player to assist in a World Cup match.

England v Congo DR

Another Cinderella-esque story next to Cape Verde is DR Congo. Back in 1974, the last time they were on this stage when the country was known as Zaire, they exited in the groups losing all three games and giving up 14 goals.

52 years later, they have re-written history, one of the eight third place teams to advance to the Round of 32. They drew to Portugal 1-1 and the 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan secured them to go through.

Their opponents? The three lions. England’s group stage was far from perfect, despite topping the group with wins over Croatia and Panama and a draw to Ghana. They went almost two hours without scoring a goal, so if DR Congo can hold them for at least 90 minutes, it may be going home. The squad, not the trophy.

Ivory Coast v Norway

Norway started off its first World Cup in 27 years strong with wins over Iraq (4-1) and Senegal (3-2.) Where the Vikings lacked in fire and fierceness was in the final group match against France, failing to start any of the starting eleven and getting pulverized by France 4-1. This costed them winning the group.

But their opponents, Ivory Coast, are looking to slow down Erling Haaland’s four goals in two games. Ivory Coast is young and spirited with a talented array of players, one of the seven teams that qualified for the knockouts for the first time in history. And the upcoming heat wave in Dallas could cause major waves.

This article was written by Sofie Hanrahan. She can be reached @[email protected] or on X @SofieHanrahanMU.