World Cup 2026: Norway, France and Mexico Advance in Round of 16

In the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, Norway eliminated Ivory Coast 2‑1, France defeated Sweden 3‑0, and hosts Mexico beat Ecuador 2‑0 to move into the quarter‑finals. Ivory Coast qualified for the knockout stage for the first time, while Norway returned to the finals after a 28‑year absence.

Key individual performances included Norway’s Erling Haaland, who added four goals to his tournament tally, and France’s Kylian Mbappé, who scored his ninth knockout‑stage goal, becoming the all‑time leader in World Cup knockout‑stage scoring. Ousmane Dembele, Martin Odegaard and other stars also contributed, and a VAR‑involved incident led to a red‑card warning for Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié.