Experienced World Cup viewers don’t really get into the tournament until the elimination phase begins.
From now on, we’ll start to see better teams take things to the next level. There’s no need to be shy. There is no rest for the tired Norwegian, the yellow-wearing American, and the aging superstar.
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Here’s a guide to the best matches to watch in Al Jazeera’s Round of 32.
Netherlands vs Morocco,
Monday, June 29th, 7pm (Tuesday 01:00 GMT) – Monterrey Stadium, Mexico
It was a rare match that brought together the top 10 ranked teams, with Morocco in sixth place in the FIFA world rankings and the Netherlands in seventh place, entering their first elimination stage.
At the 2022 Qatar Games, Morocco defeated three European opponents en route to reaching the semi-finals. The Atlas Lions have won one Euro this season, but they struggled against Scotland and will need to step up their game against the Netherlands.
Regarding the Netherlands, they should be aware of Ismael Saibari, who plays for Bayern Munich and has been a member of PSV Eindhoven since 2020.
It’s a rematch of the 1994 World Cup, which the Netherlands won 2-1 on a humid day in Orlando, Florida. The weather should be better this time.
Keys to the match: Moroccan defense versus Dutch attackers Brian Brobbey and Kodi Gakpo.
Ivory Coast vs Norway
Tuesday, June 30th (17:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Texas, USA
After two games, Erling Haaland and most of the rest of the starting lineup were declared fatigued by coach Staale Solbakken and were rested for the final group game against France.
If so, Haaland will be desperate to add to his total of four goals with the extra day off. Solbakken said the physicality of the Teranga Lions took a particularly high toll in the 3-2 win over Senegal, and he expects a similar challenge from Ivory Coast.
Climate-controlled indoor venues will have to deal with the heat and humidity that caused several Norwegians to convulse. Ivory Coast narrowly lost to Germany, but looked impressive with wins over Ecuador and Curaçao.
Key to the match: The midfield battle between Frank Kessie and Norway’s Martin Odegaard.
France vs Sweden
Tuesday, June 30th, 5pm (9pm GMT) – New York/New Jersey Stadium, USA
France defeated the Norwegian reserves 4-1 in a practice exercise and prepared for the Scandinavian challenge.
Les Bleus’ front four (Ousmane Dembélé, Desiree Douai, Kylian Mbappé and Mikael Oliseh) have created a highlight-reel attack. And, as assistant coach Guy Stephan said, France “could have” scored more than 10 goals in three games.
Didier Deschamps missed the match against Norway but returned from his mother’s funeral. Sweden won 2-0 at Euro 2012, ending France’s unbeaten run with 24 points.
Les Bleus were then defeated by Spain and Deschamps replaced Laurent Blanc.
Key to the match: Chasing Les Bleus is futile, so the Swede needs to control the pace. The inclusion of Swedish striker Viktor Gökeres could also help.
USA vs Bosnia
Wednesday, July 1, 5pm (Thursday midnight GMT) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, California, USA
Manager Mauricio Pochettino plans to bring back his first-choice starting XI, so if you’re wondering whether America are the real deal, you’ll soon have your answer. The last time the United States won a World Cup against a European opponent was in 2002, with a 3-2 victory over Portugal.
Esmir Vajraktarevic, who earned a cap for the U.S. national team before moving to Bosnia, should be refreshed — he was allowed to visit his home in Appleton, Wis., for two days last week.
Keys to the game: The Americans will press with all their might, so the Bosnians will have to stay calm and weather the storm.
Spain vs Austria
Thursday, July 2, Noon (19:00 GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium
Spain have not lost to the Austrians since the 1990 World Cup warm-up friendly in Malaga. And among Spain’s subsequent victories, there were also defeats, including 9-0, 5-1, and 4-0.
At the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, Austria defeated Spain 2-1.
Keys to the match: Everyone is still waiting for Lamine Yamal and La Roja’s attack to find their rhythm.
Portugal vs Croatia
Thursday, July 2nd, 7:00pm (23:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Ontario, Canada
Both teams were expected to advance to the top, with Croatia in 13th place and Portugal in 8th place. A lot will depend on the elderly – Croatia’s Luka Modric, 40 years old. Cristiano Ronaldo (41 years old) from Portugal. The combination of Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma eliminated Croatia from the 2016 Euros.
Croatia’s only win over Portugal was in 2024 when they won 2-1 at Lisbon’s Estadio do Jamor with goals from Modric and Ante Budimir.
Key to the match: Modric will have to be as energetic as he was in the 2-1 win against Ghana. Ronaldo will struggle against the Croatian defense – we’ll see if he has anything left in him.
Argentina vs Cape Verde
Friday 3rd July, 6pm (22:00 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Florida, USA
Can Tubaroz Azuis stop Lionel Messi? Cape Verde was the surprise of the tournament, mainly due to their defense and goalkeeper Vosinha. Argentina relies on Messi, but of course they will need other players to join the attack.
Key to the match: Bosinha (40 years old) vs. Messi (39 years old)
Colombia vs Ghana
Friday, July 3, 8:30pm (Saturday 1:30am GMT) – Kansas City Stadium, Missouri, USA
Cafeteros surprised Portugal and won their group. Colombia proved that they could technically match top-level opponents, but despite their explosive attacking potential, they only scored four goals, two of which came from defender Daniel Muñoz.
Coach Carlos Queiroz has organized the Black Stars defensively and now needs to find a way to get Jordan Ayew and Antoine Semenho into scoring positions. This is also a chance for Queiroz to play against the country that fired him in the 2022 qualifiers.
Key to the match: Can Luis Diaz find space and can Luis Suarez find the back of the net for Colombia?
