Full World Cup Round of 32 Predictions - Who Will Advance?
The World Cup knockout phase has begun with the Round of 32. We take a look at all 16 matches and give our picks for which nations will advance to the next stages.
Video Transcript
The group stages have been completed.
Now it is time for the first knockout phase of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the round of 32 coming up this week in the World Cup.
Let's have a look at all 16 games, guys, and predict how they are going to go during this stage of the competition here on thefootballchronicle.com.
So as you guys know, I was pretty busy this weekend.
I was over at a wedding, so I wasn't able to actually cover any of the World Cup games this weekend until just now on Monday morning.
That meant that I missed the first game that was on in the round of 32, where Canada managed to get the victory over South Africa.
First time that either of those sides have ever made the knockouts of the World Cup, and Canada, one of the three co-hosts, have made it through to the round of 16.
That is absolutely huge for them.
Well done to them.
Sorry to Bafana Bafana, but still a great tournament nonetheless for the South Africans.
But let's go deeper into this, guys.
Let's have a look at every single game here and predict how they are going to go.
And tonight we got some absolutely huge ties, starting with Brazil against Japan.
Now, this is a great game.
You got the five-time champions in the form of Brazil.
You've got Japan, who are a real rising star in the world of football right now.
I think they've been excellent so far this tournament.
Bit of a disappointing draw last time out against Sweden, but they are still showing the quality that really everybody was predicting they were going to have.
Brazil haven't quite been firing on all cylinders.
I mean, they got a draw against Morocco in their first game.
They beat Scotland pretty easily, and they beat Haiti pretty easily as well, two of the true minnows of the competition.
Not really a surprise they won that, but they still won their group, and this is a really difficult draw for both teams in the round of 32, it must be said.
I mean, when you look at the quality of South Africa and Canada, no offense, guys, and you look at the quality of these two sides, it's like these two sides should definitely be in the round of 16 at least.
But only one of them is going to make it.
And I've got to back Brazil.
I've got to do it.
I mean, my head is telling me that Japan could potentially pull off an upset here, and I see no reason why they can't.
But I just think the star power of Brazil, the experience of Brazil in the World Cup, I think that is going to be the big difference.
I'm gonna go with Brazil to win that game.
Let's make it entertaining, by three goals to two.
Then we've got Germany against Paraguay.
That game is being played tonight at half past 9:00.
Now, Paraguay, they've been okay in the World Cup so far.
They've not been particularly great, it's fair to be said.
They managed to get a win against Turkey, but Turkey were pretty trash in the group stage.
Only drew against Australia, although that was a result that benefited both sides.
They got spanked by the USA in their opening game in the World Cup.
Germany haven't been particularly amazing either, it's fair to be said.
I mean, they did lose against Ecuador, but that game was basically a dead rubber for them.
They knew they were gonna win the group anyway, so maybe not too much to read into about that one.
And although I think it's gonna be difficult for Germany, I'm still gonna back them to go through two goals to one against Paraguay.
Paraguay a good team, but I think Germany have just got a bit too much, unfortunately for them.
Then the final match that's being played tonight, the Netherlands against Morocco.
Now these two, both dark horses for the tournament.
Some people are saying Morocco.
They've been pretty good this tournament.
Not too amazing.
I mean, only beat Scotland by the odd goal.
They conceded a few goals as well against Haiti in their final group game.
The Netherlands have been much more solid.
They won their group.
They only drew against Japan.
They absolutely played Tunisia and Sweden off the park.
And despite me predicting in my pre-tournament predictions that Morocco were gonna go all the way to the final, yet believe it or not, you can look at why, you can see why that was the case.
I'm gonna go Netherlands to win this one.
I think the Dutch are gonna win this one.
They've been a much more solid team.
They've really impressed me this tournament.
Morocco not been quite on that same level despite finishing level on points with Brazil.
It's how they got there, though, that does concern me.
So I'm gonna back the Dutch to win that game by two goals to nil.
I think they'll just play them off the park, to be honest, but we'll see what happens.
The Ivory Coast and Norway play each other tomorrow.
This should be a really interesting game between these two teams.
I mean, Norway, they've been excellent in the group stage.
Yeah, they got played off the park by France, but they also rotated their team quite a bit in preparation for this game.
Ivory Coast, meanwhile, I mean, they only lost against Germany in pretty much the last kick of the game.
They would've got a draw if it wasn't for that late, late Undav goal from Germany.
So I think, again, these are really good players that are in this team.
They're playing quite well, are Ivory Coast, but so are Norway as well.
Ivory Coast more experienced in tournaments.
Norway, I think there's probably a bit more talent there.
They also, of course, rotated their team in their previous game, and I think that can make the difference in this one.
So I'm gonna back Norway to go through on penalties.
I think it's gonna be so tight between these two, but I'm just gonna give them the edge.
I'm gonna go for 2-2 in regulation time and 2-2 again, Desmond, in extra time.
But Norway to go through on penalties.
France against Sweden.
France obviously winning all of their group games.
They're one of the favorites for the tournament, rightfully so.
Sweden been very inconsistent.
They smashed Tunisia, they got smashed by the Netherlands, and they also then drew against Japan as well.
So real mixed bag of results there And I think whichever Sweden turns up, unfortunately the story is gonna be the same.
They are going to be knocked out by France.
I just cannot see them beating France, to be honest.
So we'll go middle of the park, we'll go with a average Sweden team here.
So I think they're gonna get beaten, to be honest, by three goals to one.
I'll give the Swedes a goal, but I think France just have too much attacking power.
Next we go to one of the co-hosts, again, playing late on Tuesday night, 2:00 AM on Wednesday morning, technically, here in the UK.
Mexico against Ecuador.
I mean, Ecuador, incredible in their previous game against Germany.
That late winner for them in that match, sending them through to the round of 32.
Mexico, they've been very solid so far.
Not particularly spectacular.
They were really good against the Czech Republic, but the Czech Republic have been really poor this tournament.
But they have won all of their games.
That is no mean feat whatsoever.
But can they keep it going?
Can they finally get to that fifth match in the World Cup?
Well, they have every chance against Ecuador, but the thing about Ecuador is they don't concede many goals.
They don't score many either, to be honest, but they don't concede many goals either.
Ecuador, of course, also know how to play in difficult climates.
Of course, up in the Azteca in Mexico City, it's high altitude but also really hot as well.
But Ecuador know exactly how to play in that kind of climate.
They are no strangers to it whatsoever.
So I do think that Mexico are gonna go through, but I think it's gonna be nervy.
I think it's gonna be awkward.
I think it's gonna be nil-nil in full time.
But I do give Mexico the edge in extra time.
I'm gonna go for the Mexicans to go through one-nil after extra time.
Then come the big boys, my boys, the Three Lions.
We're playing on Wednesday, 5:00 PM UK time kickoff, the early game.
DR Congo we're facing.
We've won our group and this is our reward.
Another African side.
Of course, we struggled against Ghana, and I do think this is gonna be a little similar to that Ghana game, unfortunately, guys, because Congo have shown, they have shown that they can play against good teams in the form of Portugal.
They can sit back, they can defend in that low block, and they can make it very effective.
So I think that England are gonna struggle to get a goal.
It's gonna take us a while to score, but when we do, we're gonna get a couple of them.
I'm gonna go with England to win by two goals to nil.
It's not gonna be easy, it's gonna be nervy, but still I think we're gonna get through.
It might be quite similar to the Panama game.
I hope so.
I've gone with the same score line anyway.
Then we head to Belgium and Senegal.
Now, Belgium, of course, took a while to get going in this competition, but they smashed New Zealand by five goals to one in their final group game.
Senegal, I mean, they lost against Norway and France narrowly.
They weren't particularly bad in those games, but just couldn't get the job done unfortunately.
That win against Iraq, though, was enough to send them through to the round of 32.
But what do I go with here?
My head is telling me that Belgium will win this game.
They finally got in a bit of form.
But you know what?
I got a funny feeling about Senegal.
I'm gonna go for the upset here.
I'm gonna go for the once African champions, now stripped of their title but don't want to give up the trophy, of course, Senegal.
I'm gonna go with them to get the win because I've said it from the beginning, Belgium are bottle jobs in tournaments.
Apart from 2018, when have they done well in a tournament with this so-called golden generation?
I can't think of a time.
I can't think of a time at all.
So let me know your thoughts about that one.
Really interesting one, guys, of course, in the comments.
But I'm gonna go with Senegal to get the victory by Again, let's make it entertaining.
Three goals to two.
Then we've got the final of the three co-hosts, the United States of America against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This is a dream tie for the USA, really.
I don't think Bosnia are that much, to be honest with you.
They only managed to get one victory against a pretty hopeless Qatar, of course, in the group stage.
The USA, they won the first of their two games and then disappointingly lost against Turkey.
But that was a weird one because Turkey were already out and the USA were already through.
So maybe the psychology of that didn't help the Americans in that game.
But overall, I do think the USA, especially with the home crowd supporting them, I think they'll be too much unfortunately for Bosnia.
I'm gonna go for the USA to win by three goals to one.
Up next we've got Spain against Austria.
Now, Spain, of course, took a little while to get going.
They had that disappointing nil-nil draw in their opener against Cape Verde.
But they won their other two games in the group after that and, of course, won the group as well.
Austria, a real mixed bag of results for them.
Of course, they lost narrowly against Argentina.
They won pretty handily against Jordan, and then they drew in that very dramatic game against Algeria, 3-all in the final group game.
There is a conspiracy going round that says that Algeria threw that game in the last kick of the game because they knew they'd get an easier draw if they finished in third in the group rather than in second.
But I'm not, I'm not gonna weigh in on that.
That's an interesting theory.
Very tinfoil hat.
But yeah, that's, that's what some people are saying.
And going off how the draws are for both of these teams, if that was their intention, Algeria, it worked, because they play against Switzerland.
But let us just go back to Spain and Austria.
I do think Spain, unsurprisingly, are gonna get the win in this one.
Austria are a good team, but I think Spain have just got too much.
They will find them out eventually.
Two-nil to the Spanish on that one.
Did Austria expect the Spanish Inquisition?
Well, probably, but I don't think they can do anything to stop them unfortunately there.
Then we got Portugal against Croatia.
Now, Croatia, of course, they lost their opening game against England, but no disgrace.
They are the best team in the world, so it's no surprise there.
but they won their other two group games after that against Panama and Ghana.
Portugal, meanwhile, I mean, everybody and their mother, including me, was saying Ronaldo needs to get dropped.
Ronaldo's washed, and all this and that, and then he pulls a blinder against Uzbekistan.
Not really how sure how to, kinda rate that, but you know, he still did it nonetheless.
So mixed bag for Portugal so far with their results.
But it's a difficult draw, this.
It is not an easy game for them.
I do think overall I would probably back Portugal to go through, and that is indeed what I'm going to do in more cases than not.
But still, it's not out of the realms of possibility at all for Croatia to pull off an upset here.
Not at all.
So I think this is gonna be a game that goes all the way to penalties, and I'm gonna back Portugal to go through on penalties.
So I'm gonna go with, let's say one-all in full time, 2-2 in extra time, and Portugal to go through on penalties.
Very tight game, and I'm gonna give the Portuguese the benefit of the doubt there.
Like I mentioned before, Switzerland play against Algeria.
Switzerland pretty solid in the group, as you kind of expect really.
Seven points from a potential nine, only dropping points surprisingly against Qatar, the, the worst of the three by far.
I mean, they should have won that game, Switzerland, quite comfortably, but was not to be in the end.
Algeria with- had a very dramatic, group phase in this game, of course, culminating in that 3-all draw against Austria.
They got a win against Jordan, they lost by quite some margin against Argentina, but they did score in that a nil-nil, but it was of course disallowed.
So Algeria can spring an upset, but I think the Swiss are far too solid to be overcoming this one.
I'm gonna go with Switzerland to win by two goals to one.
Then we got Australia against Egypt.
I mean, Australia, to me, have not looked that great in this competition.
I mean, they got spanked by the USA.
They only drew against Paraguay, have not been particularly great, albeit that was a draw that suited Australia 'cause they finished in second in the group.
And they beat Turkey when they were definitely second-best in that game.
But Egypt, I'd say, have been more solid overall, so I'm gonna go with Egypt to get the victory in this one.
I think they're gonna head through to the round of 16.
They've had to wait so long to get a victory in the World Cup, but I think they're gonna head through to the round of 16 no problems.
I'm gonna go with Egypt to win that game by two goals to one.
Then we got a real interesting one.
Wow, the disparity between these two teams.
We've got the world champions, the defending champions, the Argentines, up against Cape Verde.
I mean, Cape Verde, they haven't won a game this tournament.
They've drawn all their matches, but it was enough.
With this format especially, it was enough.
But to be fair, they finished in second.
Even in the old format, they would've got through to the knockouts, so fair play to them.
They should've won against Uruguay as well.
Let's be real here.
They should've won against Uruguay.
They could've beat Saudi Arabia too.
Hell, they could've beat Spain.
They could've won all them games.
But as it was, they drew them all, and they're into the round of 32, and they're up against Lionel Messi and co. in the form of Argentina.
I really do think that Cape Verde are gonna hold Argentina for a while, but a bit like England against DR Congo, I do think the better side is gonna win out eventually.
I'm gonna go with Argentina to win by two goals to nil.
I'm sorry, Cape Verde, the dream is over.
But my goodness me, have you acquitted yourself well.
You've been absolutely incredible.
One of the stories of the World Cup, one of the great stories of all time of the World Cup, in my opinion.
Yeah, Iceland making it in 2018, that was great.
Really small country.
But they didn't do that much in the tournament.
These guys, though, they made it through to the knockouts, and did so by finishing second in their group.
Like I said, even in the old format, they still would've made it through.
That means something.
And the final game of the round of 32 is Colombia against Ghana.
Ghana have not really impressed with this tournament.
Yeah, they got a point against England.
Yeah, they got a f- win against Panama.
But really not that great.
Really not that great.
Very defensive, not very good football that they play under Carlos Queiroz.
They don't care, of course.
Just like Thomas Partey allegedly doesn't really care what women have to say either.
But anyway, they're up against Colombia, and I think Colombia will spank them, unfortunately.
I think Colombia are much more solid of a side.
They've been really impressive in this tournament, have Colombia.
They won their group on merit.
So I'm gonna go with Colombia to get through in that game by two goals to nil.
So we just have a quick look at the bracket, what that'll mean for the round of 16 if my predictions are all correct, which of course they will be.
They are usually 100% correct 50% of the time, at best.
but yeah.
So we know Canada are through, and they will play against the Netherlands if my predictions are correct.
Germany, they will play against France in the round of 16.
We've got Senegal against the United States, Spain against Portugal, that's a big one.
Then it is Brazil against Norway, Mexico against England, that's gonna be a real tough one in the Azteca right there.
Switzerland against Colombia, and Egypt against Argentina in the final round of 16 game.
Some huge matches there in the round of 32.
Some huge matches potentially in the round of 16, guys.
Let us know your thoughts about who is going through, though, and who is not.
Like, share, comment, subscribe as always, and we'll see you soon with much more content on the world of football just like this.
Have a good one, and let's hope for a fantastic round of 32 fixtures all this week, guys.
