It starts tonight
All pairs of the 1/8 finals of the World Championship: a brief overview
June 28, 2026 – 8:16 amReading time: 2 min.
Julian Nagelsmann: The national coach faces difficult tasks. (Source: IMAGO/Bahho Kara/imago)
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With the end of the group stage of the World Cup, it becomes clear which pairings will be at the beginning of the playoffs. Several possible top contenders await Germany, starting in the round of 16.
The 3-3 draw between Algeria and Austria on Sunday morning not only ended the group stage. VM 2026 sealed, but the final two standout competitors from the elimination round were also eliminated. Thanks to a spectacular draw, both Algeria and Austria advanced to the round of 16, resulting in Iran being eliminated.
This means that all pairings for the round of 16, which begins on Sunday evening, have already been determined. South Africa and Canada start business Los Angeles from 21:00 (at Live ticker in t-online). Germany team advances to the next round late Monday against Paraguay in Boston (live on t-online from 10:30 p.m.).
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In addition, the first round of the playoffs will bring with it several fights between highly ranked teams. The Netherlands will face Morocco, fourth at the 2022 World Cup, while Portugal will face Croatia, third at the 2022 World Cup.
All pairs of the 1/8 finals of the World Championship: a brief overview
- South Africa – Canada (Sunday, 21:00)
- Brazil – Japan (Monday, 19:00)
- Germany – Paraguay (Monday, 22:30)
- Netherlands – Morocco (Tuesday, 3 am)
- Ivory Coast – Norway (Tuesday, 19:00)
- France – Sweden (Tuesday, 23:00)
- Mexico – Ecuador (Wednesday, 3 am)
- England – Democratic Republic of the Congo (Wednesday, 18:00)
- Belgium – Senegal (Wednesday, 22:00)
- USA – Bosnia and Herzegovina (Thursday, 2 am)
- Spain – Austria (Thursday, 21:00)
- Portugal – Croatia (Friday, 1:00)
- Switzerland – Algeria (Friday, 5:00)
- Australia – Egypt (Friday, 20:00)
- Argentina – Cape Verde (Saturday, 12:00)
- Colombia – Ghana (Saturday, 03:30)
With the start of the playoffs, it becomes clear what further matches will look like until the World Cup final. If Germany beat Paraguay in the round of 16, they could face some tough opponents. France should wait in the round of 16, the Netherlands or Morocco in the quarter-finals, and Spain, Portugal or Croatia in the semi-finals. Possible opponents in the final could be Argentina, Brazil or England.
From the latest results of the group stage it is also clear that the match between Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldosomething that has never happened before in a World Cup final will only be possible in the final.