The Round of 32 has already produced some shocks, shootouts and scenes that will live long in World Cup memories.
Three more games are scheduled for Tuesday, with France, Norway and co-hosts Mexico all looking to avoid becoming the next big casualties, after Paraguay dominated Germany and Morocco beat the Netherlands home on penalties.
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Ivory Coast will play Norway, France will play Sweden and Mexico will face Ecuador, leaving three more places to advance to the last 16.
Here’s what we know:
What is the schedule for Tuesday?
Ivory Coast vs. Norway (noon/17:00 GMT) at Dallas Stadium, Texas, USA France vs. Sweden (5:21:00 GMT) at New York/New Jersey Stadium, USA Mexico vs. Ecuador (Wednesday 7:00pm/2:00 GMT) at Mexico City Stadium, Mexico
What are your predictions for Ivory Coast vs. Norway?
This will be the first match between Ivory Coast and Norway.
Ivory Coast have found themselves tough against European opponents at the World Cup, while Norway has traditionally performed well against African teams. They have only lost two of the 19 matches they played against CAF countries in all competitions.
The Opta supercomputer calculates that Norway is the clear favorite to win.
After 25,000 pre-match simulations, Norway won 56.1 percent of the time, while Ivory Coast won 21.6 percent of the time. A draw after 90 minutes that sent the game into overtime occurred in 22.3% of simulations.
Norway also have strong backing to reach the last 16 and match their best result in World Cup history, but Ivory Coast will need to produce one of the tournament’s biggest upsets to keep their campaign alive.
What are your predictions for France vs Sweden?
France and Sweden are familiar opponents, having played each other 23 times in all competitions. France maintains an advantage with 12 wins to Sweden’s six, with five matches ending in a tie.
Despite their long history, this will be the first time the two sides will face off at a FIFA World Cup.
Opta supercomputer gives France an overwhelming advantage heading into the Round of 32.
After 25,000 pre-match simulations, France won 75.1% of the time in regular time, underscoring their status as one of the favorites to win the tournament. Sweden won in just 9.5 percent of all simulations, but 15.4 percent of their matches were tied after 90 minutes, requiring extra time or penalties.
What are your predictions for Mexico vs. Ecuador?
Mexico and Ecuador have only met once before at the FIFA World Cup, with El Tri winning 2-1 in the group stage of the 2002 tournament.
Recent meetings had much more even results. Both teams are unbeaten in their last three meetings, with all three ending in a draw, raising the possibility that this Round of 32 tie will be decided beyond 90 minutes.
The Opta supercomputer will give the tournament’s co-hosts an edge, but a competitive contest is expected.
Based on 25,000 pregame simulations, Mexico’s normal win rate was 47.1 percent, compared to Ecuador’s 23.7 percent. 29.2% of simulations resulted in a draw after 90 minutes, making extra time a realistic possibility.
After extra time and penalties are taken into account, Mexico’s chance of advancing to the Round of 16 rises to 61 percent, while Ecuador’s chance of advancing is 38.9 percent.
Which teams made it to the Round of 16 and which teams were eliminated?
The tournament progressed to the round of 32. So far, the following teams have advanced to the Round of 16:
Canada (beat South Africa 1-0) Brazil (beat Japan 2-1) Paraguay (beat Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw) Morocco (beat Netherlands on penalties after a 1-1 draw)
What else is going on?
Morocco defeats the Netherlands on penalties
After a dramatic 1-1 draw in extra time in Monterrey, Morocco defeated the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties to advance to the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup.
Goalkeeper Yassin Bounou was the hero, saving Crisencio Somerville’s penalty and Ismael Saibari converted the decisive spot-kick to put Morocco ahead.
Morocco will play Canada in the round of 16 on Saturday in Houston.
The Netherlands took the lead midway through the second half with a goal from Kodi Gakpo, and it looked like the game was headed for a Dutch victory.
Gakpo’s impressive World Cup goal
Kodi Gakpo broke down in tears after scoring for the Netherlands against Morocco. It came just two days after he and his partner announced the loss of their unborn child.
The forward chose to remain with the team despite the tragedy and received a standing ovation from the Dutch fans when he was substituted in extra time.
Saibari celebrates with his mother
The heartwarming moment of Ismael Saibari celebrating Morocco’s big victory with his mother on the pitch after scoring the decisive penalty against the Netherlands has gone viral on the internet.
Germany shocked by early withdrawal
Germany’s campaign came to a shocking end on Monday when Paraguay pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history with a dramatic victory on penalties in the round of 32.
In the 42nd minute, Matias Galarza’s cross was headed in by Julio Enciso, giving Paraguay a 1-0 lead at half-time.
In the 8th minute of the second half, Kai Havertz converted a cross from Florian Wirtz to Germany, tying the game at 1-1.
Neither team could find a winner in extra time, and the tie went to penalties. Havertz missed Germany’s opening spot-kick, who failed to convert three of their five attempts, and Paraguay secured a famous 4-3 penalty shootout victory to book their place in the last 16.
Paraguay surprises Germany by declaring national holiday
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena declared a public holiday on Tuesday after his country secured a shock victory over Germany in a penalty shootout to book its place in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup.
Paraguay pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history on Monday, defeating the four-time world champions 4-3 on penalties after trailing 1-1 in extra time.
Paraguay became the second country in South America to declare a public holiday after their surprise victory over Germany at the World Cup. Ecuador defeated the four-time champions 2-1 in the group stage to take first place.
Translation: Huge Paraguay! Today the whole country celebrates. This is a celebration of team victories that represent the deepest parts of our identity: the grit, belief, and strength of those who never give up. Thank you, Alviroja, for giving us this immense joy and uniting once again millions of Paraguayans under the same flag. Decree No. 6280: The best things are worth waiting for. Let’s go to Paraguay!
US Secretary of Homeland Security celebrates Iran’s withdrawal
US Secretary of Homeland Security Mark Wayne Mullin said Iran “did a happy dance” after being eliminated from the World Cup.
Iran missed out on advancing to the Round of 32 on goal difference after their stoppage-time winning goal against Egypt was ruled out for offside, and their elimination was confirmed after Algeria and Austria drew 3-3 on Sunday.
“I’m glad it’s over, but I’m not coming back,” Marin said at Monday’s World Cup press conference, adding that he was happy when Iran’s visa was revoked and the team left the mainland United States. He also said Iran needed more attention from U.S. authorities than any other team in the tournament.
The comment further fueled a public spat between Marin and the Iranian team. At the beginning of the tournament, he claimed that members of Iran’s touring delegation had tried to bring people with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the United States, an accusation that the Iranian Football Federation dismissed as “false, fabricated and completely baseless.”
