The knockout phase of the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Sunday with South Africa facing Canada in the opening Round of 32 match. With the group stage now concluded, the complete knockout bracket has been officially confirmed.World Cup Round of 32 bracketSunday, June 28Sunday’s fixture features South Africa taking on Canada at the Los Angeles Stadium in California, United States. Monday, June 29Germany vs Paraguay (Match 74)Netherlands vs Morocco (Match 75)Brazil vs Japan (Match 76)Tuesday, June 30France vs Sweden (Match 77)Ivory Coast vs Norway (Match 78)Mexico vs Ecuador (Match 79)Wednesday, July 1England vs DR Congo (Match 80)USA vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (Match 81)Belgium vs Senegal (Match 82)Thursday, July 2Portugal vs Croatia (Match 83)Spain vs Austria (Match 84)Switzerland vs Algeria (Match 85)Friday, July 3Argentina vs Cape Verde (Match 86)Colombia vs Ghana (Match 87)Australia vs Egypt (Match 88)Ronaldo vs Messi in final?A potential Messi–Ronaldo showdown in a World Cup knockout match is still on the cards, but it will only happen if both captains successfully guide their respective teams all the way to the 2026 World Cup final. Round of 32 Explained: Single-Elimination Knockout StageThe Round of 32, often called the knockout stage, is when the World Cup switches to a single-elimination format. There are no points, group tables, or draws at this stage, each match is a straight battle where only the winner advances and the loser is eliminated from the tournament.From the Round of 32 onward, all matches follow a single-elimination format. Winning teams progress to the Round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals, and ultimately the final.