The closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup begins on Saturday, with the best 16 remaining teams in the tournament competing for a spot in the quarterfinals.
The next four days (July 4th to 7th) will feature some big matches between great teams from around the world.
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Here’s Al Jazeera’s guide to notable matches for the Round of 16.
Canada vs Morocco
Saturday 4th July, Houston Stadium – 17:00 GMT
Canada’s best chance against Morocco may have been with Yassin Bounou. Former coach Benito Floro also tried, but Bounou, who spent his first three years in Montreal, turned him down.
The last time the Canadians tried to beat Benou, they lost 2-1 in Qatar and were eliminated in the group stage. After their first two World Cup wins, Canada should have more confidence.
The Maple Leafs will start their attack with right wing Tajon Buchanan and left back Alphonso Davis. Davies (hamstring) returned in the group stage against South Africa, his first return since playing for Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final.
US-born Canadian manager Jesse Marsh replaced Ismael Cohn, who broke his leg against Qatar, with Nathan-Dylan Saliba, who played well in midfield.
The Moroccan reloads were unable to catch fire offensively, but they knew Bounou would come to their rescue. All the Atlas Lions need to do is force the shootout. The winner will likely advance to the quarterfinals against France.
France vs Paraguay
Saturday 4th July, Philadelphia Stadium – 21:00 GMT
The Guaranese were surprised, but if Les Bleus knows their history, that won’t be the case in this match.
In 1958, France fell behind in the second half against Paraguay, but recovered and won 7-3. In 1998, they needed an extra-time goal from Laurent Blanc to advance against La Albirroja.
But now France is just going full steam ahead and passing everyone. Indeed, Paraguay held back the German attack. However, Gustavo Gomez and the team will find it difficult to catch up with Kylian Mbappé.
The French break down the central defense with the playmaking of Michael Olise and Adrien Rabiot. Wingers provide width. Olise, Rabiot and probably Theo Hernandez will shoot from long range.
Brazil vs Norway
Sunday, July 5th, New York/New Jersey Stadium – 20:00 GMT
It is rare for a team to win a direct match against Brazil. Only three teams hold that position: the Netherlands, Hungary, and Norway. Lastly, their biggest pride is that they have never lost to Brazil (W2, D2).
But the Brazilians have long been hoping for a rematch of the controversial 1998 World Cup, in which Norway lost in the group stage after being awarded a penalty in the final minute.
U.S. referee Esse Baharmast correctly detected the foul, leading to a 2-1 penalty on Ketil Rekdal. Brazil led the group, but Lance Raggett’s victory moved them ahead of Morocco into second place.
This was Norway’s last appearance in the finals, losing to Italy in the first round, and the only time they ever made it to the finals.
Brazil was looking for an opportunity, and they found it in Endrick, who came off the bench against Japan. Endrik may seem small for the Norwegian, but he could play an important role.
mexico vs england
Sunday, July 5th, Mexico City Stadium – Monday 00:00 GMT
According to former Mexican national team coach Juan Carlos Osorio, altitude and posture. Mexico City’s altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 feet) combined with El Tri’s fast-paced attack will leave your opponents breathless.
To date, Mexico has played in Guadalajara and Mexico City, with a record of 4 wins, 0 losses, and 0 draws (8 wins and 0 losses on goal difference).
El Tri’s possession tactics set the tone, with the forward pairing of Raul Jimenez and Colombian-born Julian Quiñones working well.
England have a record of 6 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw against Mexico (including a 2-0 win at Wembley in the 1966 World Cup).
The Three Lions are winless in Mexico City (0-2-1), but they were without Harry Kane at the time. And one defeat at the venue required a Hand of God moment from Diego Maradona to propel Argentina forward.
Manager Thomas Tuchel had hoped to minimize the effect of altitude by arriving closer to kick-off, while FIFA was considering staggering the start time to avoid possible storms. In either case, the winner will face Brazil or Norway.
USA vs Belgium
Monday, July 6th, Seattle Stadium – Tuesday 00:00 GMT
Maybe America is real after all.
They will need to be resourceful after defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 and losing Folarin Balogun to suspension, their first win against UEFA at the US World Cup since 2002.
The striker depth is thin, with Mauricio Pochettino only having two options: Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright.
The Belgians showed they can improvise and overcome a two-goal deficit against Senegal as coach Rudi Garcia made the boldest tactical adjustment in World Cup history.
Garcia replaced Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku with Dodi Luquibakyo and midfielder Nicholas Raskin, and the attack did not get back on track until the 86th minute.
Belgium, a country the size of Massachusetts, has won six consecutive times against the United States since their first World Cup match in 1930. America is motivated to end that winning streak. The winner will play Portugal or Spain.
Portugal vs Spain
Portugal vs. Spain: Monday, July 6, Dallas Stadium – 19:00 GMT
One of the reasons Portugal hired Roberto Martínez was for this moment.
Martinez seemed to be getting the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo. But when the time came for action, Martínez replaced Ronaldo, having already brought on Bruno Fernandes and Vicinha, as Portugal produced a late winner against Croatia.
La Roja’s attack is gaining momentum, with Dani Olmo leading the way in midfield, Lamine Yamal finding a foothold and Mikel Oyarzabal finishing.
Spain defeated Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal 1-0 on their way to winning the 2010 World Cup. Ronaldo retaliated in 2018 with a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw.
