Lamine Yamal of Spain will most likely face Portugal on Monday night in the Round of 16. Photo: AFP
Although the Fifa World Cup has entered the Round of 16 and a handful of nations have already booked their spot in the quarter-finals, ignoring what was a fantastic Round of 32 just seems impossible, especially after witnessing heavyweight giants like Germany and the Netherlands get sent packing in unbelievable penalty shootouts.
The Round of 32 marked the start of the business end of the 2026 Fifa World Cup, and it did not disappoint. There were record-breaking performances, penalty shoot-out heartbreak, heavyweight casualties and the kind of drama only knockout football can produce.
With the Round of 16 already under way, here's a look back at the highs, lows and defining moments from the opening knockout round.
Just when it seemed there were no records left to break, Messi found another. The 38-year-old opened the scoring with a spectacular finish in Argentina's thrilling 3-2 victory over Cape Verde to extend his lead as the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer, proving once again that he remains the heartbeat of the defending champions.
