Colombia closed out the round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a 1-0 win over Ghana in the tournament's last such fixture, played on the morning of July 4 at Kansas City Stadium. The only goal of the contest came from Jhon Arias in the 14th minute of the first half, and that single strike proved enough to end Ghana's campaign in the tournament. With this result, the round of 32 stage has now concluded in full, and the field for the pre-quarterfinals, better known as the round of 16, stands complete at 16 teams. Colombia will next face Switzerland in that round.
Round of 16 opens with Canada versus Morocco
With every round of 16 spot now locked in, fans are turning their attention to the fixture list. The opening match kicks off at 10:30 pm IST on July 4 between Canada and Morocco. A day later, in the early hours of July 5 at 2:30 am IST, Paraguay take on France. The third round of 16 fixture sees Brazil face Norway at 1:30 am IST on July 6, while Mexico play England later that same morning at 5:30 am IST.
Spain versus Portugal is the tie everyone is watching
Three of the remaining four round of 16 matches are scheduled for July 7, and the one drawing the most attention by far is Portugal against Spain, which kicks off at 12:30 am IST. Later that day, at 5:30 am IST, host nation USA take on Belgium in their round of 16 fixture. Argentina then face Egypt at 9:30 pm IST the same day. The round of 16 finally wraps up on July 8, with Switzerland facing Colombia at 1:30 am IST, a match in which Colombia will look to carry forward the momentum built from their 1-0 win over Ghana.
Why this stage of the tournament matters
Every one of these 16 teams now enters straight knockout territory, where a single defeat ends the World Cup run for good. For Colombia, the narrow win over Ghana offers a confidence boost heading into a tougher test against a well-organised Switzerland side. For the remaining seven fixtures, from Canada versus Morocco all the way to Argentina versus Egypt, the outcomes over the coming days will decide the entire quarter-final line-up and shape how the rest of the World Cup unfolds.
