Two Round of 32 fixtures at the FIFA World Cup 2026 delivered plenty of drama on July 2. Host nation USA beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 to seal their place in the Round of 16, while Belgium produced one of the tournament's biggest comebacks yet, overturning a 2-0 deficit against Senegal in the closing stages to win 3-2. With these two results, a total of 10 teams have now qualified for the next round.
USA Win A World Cup Knockout Match For The First Time In 24 Years
Playing on the morning of July 2, the United States dominated proceedings against Bosnia and Herzegovina from the start. Folarin Balogun broke the deadlock in the 45th minute of the first half, putting the hosts 1-0 up. Things got tougher for the Americans in the 64th minute when Balogun was shown a red card and sent off, leaving the team to play the remaining half hour or so with just 10 men. Despite being a man down, the USA held on to their lead, and Malik Tillman doubled it in the 82nd minute of the second half to make it 2-0 and seal the win. The result carries extra weight because it is the USA's first win in a World Cup knockout match since the 2002 FIFA World Cup, ending a wait of nearly 24 years. The USA will now face Belgium in the Round of 16 on July 7 at 5:30 am IST.
Belgium Overturn A Two-Goal Deficit In The Final Minutes To Stun Senegal
The clash between Belgium and Senegal turned out to be the most thrilling contest of the Round of 32 so far. Senegal raced into a commanding 2-0 lead through Habib Diarra in the 24th minute and Ismaila Sarr in the 51st minute, and for long stretches it looked like they were headed comfortably into the next round. But Belgium refused to give up. Romelu Lukaku pulled a goal back in the 85th minute to make it 2-1, and just three minutes later Youri Tielemans struck a brilliant equaliser to level the score at 2-2. With the match forced into extra time, Tielemans produced more magic, scoring the decisive goal in the 120+5th minute to hand Belgium a 3-2 win. The result sends Belgium into the Round of 16, where they will now take on host nation USA.
10 Teams Have Sealed Round Of 16 Spots So Far
A total of 10 teams have now qualified for the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup 2026. These include Mexico, England, Brazil, Norway, USA, Belgium, Paraguay, France, Canada and Morocco. The fate of the remaining six spots is still to be decided in the matches ahead, which will complete the full Round of 16 picture.
What Comes Next
The rest of the Round of 32 fixtures are still to be played, and their results will determine who fills the six remaining Round of 16 places. In the meantime, the Round of 16 meeting between host nation USA and Belgium is set for July 7 at 5:30 am IST, a fixture football fans will be watching closely.
