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The 2026 World Cup has reached the quarterfinals, with eight teams remaining in the competition.The round of 16 ended on Tuesday, July 7, with Argentina defeating Egypt in a thriller and Switzerland getting past Colombia on penalties in a game that was decidedly less thrilling.But overall, the round of 16 delivered some of the World Cup's most memorable moments so far, from Argentina's wild comeback to England's breathless win at the Azteca.Let's look back at the round of 16, highlighting some winners and losers:Winner: EnglandIt's not just that England defeated Mexico at the daunting Estadio Azteca, it's how they won that will inspire plenty of belief moving forward.England had to dig deep for its 3-2 win over Mexico, playing almost the entire second half with 10 men after Jarell Quansah's red card.Thomas Tuchel's decision to fall back into a defensive shell early paid off, as Mexico couldn't do much other than pump hopeful crosses into the teeth of England's defense. There were plenty of heroes on the night for England, which overcame the crowd, conditions and altitude for a famous win.Harry Kane's voice, or lack thereof, after the final whistle exemplified England's performance.Winner: Erling HaalandThis might just be Erling Haaland's tournament.Norway was tipped as a dark horse before this World Cup, largely due to Haaland's presence. But the striker might have actually exceeded the high pre-tournament expectations at this point.Haaland's double took Norway past Brazil and took him onto seven goals, which have come in just four games after he sat out Norway's group finale. Even though Norway isn't at the overall talent level of some of the World Cup's elite teams, it's starting to feel like Haaland's scoring alone could make them nearly unbeatable.Next up is England, and a whole host of Premier League defenders Haaland has victimized on a regular basis with Manchester City.Loser: The host countriesAfter all three host nations impressed in their first four matches of the tournament, their dreams all died at the same hurdle.Canada might be able to take the most positives from the World Cup. Even with some of its top players nursing injuries, Canada earned its first World Cup point, then its first World Cup win, then its first World Cup knockout win. Canada started well against Morocco in the round of 16 but was ultimately punished for its inability to score in a 3-0 loss.Mexico won all four of its opening games, all while not conceding a single goal. But both of those streaks came to a crashing halt against England. While there were plenty of positives for El Tri, the way the World Cup ended will be tough to swallow.The same goes for the U.S., which turned in an abject display against Belgium in one of the biggest games in its history. Much like Mexico, an excellent start to the tournament was undone by defeat in the round of 16.Loser: FIFAWe may never know exactly why FIFA decided at the last minute to change Folarin Balogun's red-card ban to a suspended sentence, allowing him to play in the USMNT's round of 16 match against Belgium. But the decision made little sense and given the pressure campaign put on by the U.S. government, it naturally led to claims of corruption.FIFA did not offer an explanation for the stunning reversal, other than hiding behind a statute that says, in effect, it can do whatever it wants. That will be news for every subsequent team who feels hard done in during this tournament. If Balogun's suspension can be overturned at the last minute, why can't anyone else's?
