Portugal, Spain and Switzerland Reach World Cup Round of 16

Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 on July 2, with Cristiano Ronaldo converting a penalty and Gonçalo Ramos heading the winning goal. A late Croatian equaliser was disallowed after VAR ruled Mario Pašalić off‑side, allowing Portugal to advance. Spain and Switzerland each won their respective matches and also moved on to the knockout stage.

The tournament marked its five‑millionth spectator when French fan Raphaël Noufele attended France’s round‑of‑32 loss to Sweden in New York‑New Jersey. Lionel Messi continued a record‑breaking run, scoring in his seventh consecutive World Cup match and preparing for a record‑extending 30th appearance.

The round of 16 schedule begins on July 4, with Canada vs. Morocco in Houston, Paraguay vs. France in Philadelphia, Brazil vs. Norway in New York, Mexico vs. England in Mexico City, and other fixtures slated across the United States and Canada.